LISMORE — The refugee solidarity movement in the Northern Rivers region has grown rapidly. Around 400 people attended pro-refugee meetings in the space of four days.

The February 15 launch of the Lismore chapter of Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) was attended by more than 150 people. The meeting, very large for a town of 30,000 people, attracted people from a wide diversity of backgrounds, including many teachers, academics and activists in peace and green groups.

Former Lismore mayor Ros Irwin chaired a discussion that canvassed a wide range of proposed activities: from lobbying and welfare support to local and national protest rallies. RAR decided to meet monthly, organise a newsletter and set up an email group. A popular proposal was to fundraise in order to set up a primary school in the war ravaged Afghan town of Herat.

Days after the RAR launch, the Freedom Bus, activists travelling to detention centres around Australia, came to both Lismore and Byron Bay. Meetings to welcome the activists and hear their stories were organised by the Byron Shire and Lismore refugee action collectives.

At the February 17 Byron meeting 200 people heard from speakers, including ex-ACM employees, Freedom Bus activists, asylum seekers and Hasan from the Brisbane Hazara (an ethnic minority in Afghanistan) community.

Participants debated the best tactics for a refugee-rights campaign based in a rural area. Some participants argued for a focus on providing resources to ease the experience of mandatory detention. Others advocated direct protest action, including protesting outside the upcoming Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Coolum, on the Gold Coast.

Hasan argued: “Refugees in detention can survive without your blankets, your children's toys and your phone cards — but they cannot survive without their freedom.”

The Freedom Bus hit Lismore the following day for a packed-out meeting of 80. Discussion at the meeting, attended by many young peope, ranged from the connection between the “war on terrorism” and the growing refugee crisis to civil liberties and tactics for the refugee-rights movement. Most attendees were keen to protest outside CHOGM, and also to work with Lismore RAR.

From Green Left Weekly, February 27, 2002.
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