In the run up to Friday’s protest, the Nauruan refugees are distributing a leaflet (image and text below) appealing for the help of local Nauruans to oppose the Nauruan government’s collaboration with Australia’s cruel policy of offshore processing.
From : Nauru refugees
To : People of Nauru
At 2013 the Australian parliament approved a new policy for those [who] seek asylum to Australia but come by boat and decided to send all of them to offshore processing centres at Nauru and PNG. Although it’s a cruel policy but the way Abbott Government enforced the law is even more cruel ! They split the people in the same boats and in many cases they split families in two different groups, [and] sent a group to Australia and extrude (sic) the others to offshore (s) !! The Abbott government accompanied and supported by the government of Nauru has planned to keep the refugees in offshore as hostages to reach their nasty, political goals.
The refugees are the most vulnerable class of people in Nauru community and due to widespread cultural differences, big climate diversity and being tortured for a long time in detention centres most of them are suffering from mental disorders.
Helping Australia in torturing refugees and asylum seekers has brought Nauru international blames and caused lots of tensions and social anomalies in Nauru society.
The refugees demand [that] the locals ask their government to stop the cruelty against the refugees and say no [to] unfair, cruel refugee deals.
The refugees have decided to start a series of peaceful protests in order to show their disgust and abhorrence of being treated like slaves between the governments. They would like to assure the locals that the protesters have no intention of committing any sort of violence or causing any damage to the island or the islanders. The Protest will remain peaceful and the protesters will remain committed to respect the inhabitants and the country rules.
The refugees need to emphasise that they know the locals as their brothers and sisters and have a huge amount of respect and appreciation for them. We don’t want to be your enemy, we just ask you for help, please.
God bless us all.
Nauru refugees.
