Pro-refugee campaign gets support

BY BRIANNA PIKE

DARWIN — On the second anniversary of the federal election, won by the Coalition parties on the basis of lies to demonise refugees, refugees' rights activists in Darwin launched a campaign against the government's excision of the Tiwi Islands from Australia's migration zone and vilifification of 14 asylum seekers. Green Left Weekly spoke to Refugee Action Network members Michael Hoffman and Anja Breman about the campaign.

"People are feeling confused, angry and scared", said Breman, "And why shouldn't they be? We've seen [at the refugee-rights stall] today a much warmer and sincere outpouring of community support. People are really looking to us to see what is actually happening and what the solutions are."

Hoffman agreed, "The community has had two years to think about the excision of Christmas Island [from the migration zone] and the Tampa scandal. Two years ago people were willing to give the government the benefit of the doubt. [Now], the government has completely undermined itself; people aren't prepared to swallow the lies a second time around. People are angry."

"I guess that this is the major victory for the refugees' rights movement", said Bremen, "Today, people are much more willing to look and accept alternative views and this has also created a different reaction from the media."

"I think they are beginning to learn their lesson — you can only cry wolf so many times!", added Hoffman.

Bremen pointed out that it is frustrating that the government keeps using the term "illegal immigrant", when refugees have a right in international law to seek asylum. "The politics of the government towards refugees is illegal, immoral and inhumane, and needs to be stopped!", she said.

From Green Left Weekly, November 12, 2003.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 561