Ruddock's hasty retreat

BY FRED FUENTES & GAIL LORD

SYDNEY -- Immigration minister Philip Ruddock received an angry welcome from migrants and refugee rights supporters here on August 4, when he attended a “community consultation” at the Blacktown Migrant Resource Centre.

The minister's minders were thrown into confusion when confronted by more than 25 protesters demanding entry to the meeting. The protesters were at first allowed in, but security then tried, unsuccessfully, to remove them.

Ruddock's initial willingness to take questions also quickly evaporated as he was heckled, not only by protesters but also by migrants attending the consultation. He cut the meeting short and, his minders in tow, beat a hasty retreat.

A representative of the Muslim Refugee Support Network told Green Left Weekly, “As Australians, we must ensure that the government adheres to the treaties that it has signed and stop treating refugees as criminals. People from all countries have the right to be treated as human beings. If no one says anything, Ruddock and the government will keep trampling on the rights of all people.”

The Refugee Action Coalition is calling another demonstration for refugee rights on August 26 (see page 31 for details).

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