BY KATE WILSON
Refugees, often fleeing war, poverty or government repression, risk
their lives getting to Australia. They are then locked up in detention
centres for months, sometimes years, in totally inhumane conditions. Australia
is contravening international law, which states that it is perfectly legal
for refugees to come to Australia without visas if they are fleeing government
repression and apply for asylum when they arrive. Instead, they are treated
like criminals.
The hunger strikes launched by the Woomera detainees in January drew
attention to the desperate plight of Australia’s refugees. These brave
protests spurred the socialist youth group Resistance into activity — we
launched snap actions around the country and went on hunger strikes in
solidarity.
Resistance was a proud part of the growing protests for refugees’ rights
in the early part of the year — we helped build the February 2 protests
which mobilised 6500 people around the country and the 4000-strong protest
outside Parliament House in Canberra on February 12, as well as protests
outside the Coolum Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting in March, and
other community actions across the country. 
The government’s refugee crisis has polarised Australian society — many
people’s eyes have been opened to the Coalition’s lies — and we have seen
the growth of a huge campaign to free the refugees. I spoke to Resistance
activists from across Australia about the next steps in the campaign.
“It is a simple matter of basic human rights. I am ashamed of the hypocritical,
cowardly government which claims to represent me and yet continues to turn
a blind eye to abuses of human rights. It is everybody’s responsibility
to defend refugees' rights”, Jo Hunt, an activist in Canberra said.
“To free the refugees, we need thousands of young people protesting”,
Amy McDonnell, a Resistance activist on the University of New South Wales
explained. “So Resistance has initiated inclusive refugees’ rights campaigning
groups on campuses around the country.
“We think these groups can make it easier for students to get involved
in campaigning. Right now, it is really important that the campaign keeps
its momentum”, she added.
“It is clear to me, just from being a refugees’ rights activist here
in Canberra, that heaps of young people are opposed to what the government
is doing and want to help stop it”, Stuart Munckton, a member of the newly
formed Australian National University Refugee Action Committee (ANU RAC),
asserted. Munckton is the Canberra Resistance organiser.
He is passionate about the campaign: “There are people younger than
us who are being detained inhumanely, and that is why we, as the young
people on the other side of the razor wire, need to do everything in our
power to build the broadest possible campaign to free the refugees”.
Many students have already joined ANU RAC. According to Munckton, this
“shows that young people tend to be the most supportive of refugees because
they have a high anti-racist consciousness. We didn’t live through the
White Australia policy.”
Perhaps the most active campus refugees’ rights group has been the Free
the Refugees Campaign (FRC) on LaTrobe University, which was formed six
weeks ago at the initiative of the campus education officer, Kim Halpin.
Halpin is a Resistance member.
“FRC has more than 40 members, has gone on an `exposure tour’ to Maribyrnong
detention centre, held a forum and speak outs, and secured funding for
students to attend pro-refugee protests at Woomera and the Second Asia
Pacific International Solidarity Conference”, Halpin explained.
FRC is now discussing a referendum for students around the question
of “Should the refugees be free?” in second semester. But the group's main
focus for now is building campus walkouts on May 1, as part of Melbourne’s
M1 protest, which demands, among other things, freedom for refugees.
“Thousands of young people came to last year’s M1 action”, Halpin said,
“and this year we want thousands more. We will also be protesting the US-led
`war on terrorism’, and the growing US nuclear threat.”
The University of Queensland Refugee Action Collective, also formed
this year, is another example of growing youth anti-racist anger. Ninety
people attended the first UQ RAC forum, titled “Myths and facts about refugees”.
According to UQ RAC activist Chris Kerr, the discussion at the forum explored
the reasons why the government lies. “The Liberals keep trying to stop
us sympathising with asylum seekers. They present them in a way which strips
them of humanity.”
Forums discussing refugees’ rights have become a common way to raise
awareness on campus. ANU RAC has already organised a successful refugee
rights forum, and is planning on having another one when activists return
from planned protests outside Woomera detention centre at Easter.
The first refugees' rights forum on UNSW, McDonnell says “was about
taking people beyond [opposition to mandatory detention] and looking at
the reasons why the government is fanning racism and xenophobia. [Prime
Minister John] Howard and [immigration minister Philip] Ruddock are acting
to detract attention from the real causes of social dislocation — corporate
greed. They want to destroy our sense of solidarity with the poor, starving
and overworked, our growing appreciation of the need for global solutions.”
That need for solidarity led resistance to support the Second Asia Pacific
International Solidarity Conference, to be held in Sydney at Easter. Peter
Robson, who manages to organise the Newcastle Resistance branch while being
education officer at Newcastle University, secured $1500 in funding for
students to attend.
“People from all over the world are going to be at this conference”,
Robson explained. “Many are involved in campaigning for refugees’ rights.
Holding the conference in Australia is particularly poignant — because
the Australian government has such a bad reputation for persecuting refugees.”
On the Sunday morning, the conference will be suspended so participants
can attend a protest at Villawood detention centre. “This is going to be
big”, Robson promises. “It's a chance to really give the government hell
— because that’s where they sent the refugees”.
“The conference is also important because it will discuss the reasons
that people are forced to flee halfway across the world”, Robson added.
“Solidarity with struggles in the Third World will help to guarantee people
a decent life. That’s much better than bombing them into oblivion, as the
US government wants to.”
Resistance believes that campuses can become organising spaces for refugees’
rights campaigning. In the last few years, the National Union of Students,
which has mobilised students in defence of their rights and progressive
causes, has lost much of its ability, or willingness, to mobilise students.
We think building these refugees’ rights collectives on campuses is a step
towards rebuilding progressive activist networks.
According to Resistance’s national coordinator, Simon Butler: “The main
task that lies ahead of us now is convincing more people to get involved
in the refugee rights campaign, while still preparing ourselves for an
escalation of [US President George] Bush’s war. We need to explain the
links between war, corporate globalisation, the growing number of refugees
and their exclusion from First World countries. We must convince people
that if we work together, another world — a world without war or racism,
a world that doesn’t create refugees — is possible.”
[Kate Wilson is a member of the Resistance national executive. For details
of campus club meetings around the country, phone Kate on (02) 9690 1230,
or email <resistance@nationaloffice.org.au>.]
From Green Left Weekly, March 27, 2002.
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