Asylum seekers support flood victims

January 22, 2011
Issue 
Rally for refugees, June 26, Sydney. Photo: Peter Boyle

Seventy asylum seekers held at the Darwin detention centre have donated the small amount of cash they had to the Queensland flood appeal, said SBS on January 14.

Asylum seekers held at Sydney’s Villawood Immigration Detention Centre also showed their support for the victims of the Queensland floods in a symbolic action on January 17.

The detainees in Villawood painted a large banner that read: “Dear Queenslanders: we asylum seekers are with you in this difficult times with flooding.”

The banner was hung on the outside of a detention compound. The asylum seekers intend to keep the banner hanging indefinitely.

Iranian detainee and artist Majid Rabet said: “We really want to contribute to the flood relief effort in any way we can. Many of us come from countries that regularly experience terrible natural disasters and, from the bottom of our hearts, we would like the Australian public to know that we are genuinely willing to participate in the clean-up and re-building.”

Omid Tofighian, an Iranian-Australian in regular contact with the asylum seekers held at Villawood, said: "This action is not motivated by a desire to change the outcome of their asylum claims. It is a sincere act of empathy from people who are very familiar with hardship and suffering.

"The Australian government should put their political attachment to mandatory detention aside and accept their heartfelt offer. At the very least, this would help speed up the recovery operation."

Comments

This had me in tears.

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