For most of the day, yesterday, Friday, 20 June, Iraqis in at least two compounds in the Manus Island detention centre held peaceful protests calling for \u201cFreedom\u201d.<\/p>\n
The protests come the wake of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison\u2019s rejection of calls by the Greens and refugee advocates for Iraqi asylum seekers in Australia to be allowed to apply for protection visas and for a moratorium on deporting Iraqi asylum seekers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is war in our country,\u201d one asylum seeker said from Manus Island, \u201cWe cannot go back. Why are we being kept on Manus Island?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Iraqi protest also follows the increased amounts that the government is paying asylum seekers on Manus Island, if they will agree to return to their home countries.<\/p>\n
“There are over 100 Iraqi asylum seekers on Manus Island,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition,”They are not
\nsafe in Iraq; they are not safe on Manus Island. It is obvious that
\nthese asylum seekers are refugees. They, and the Syrians similarly
\ntrapped on Manus Island should immediately be brought to Australia as
\nthe first step to closing that detention centre.”<\/p>\n
Scott Morrison has claimed that the government is making voluntary
\nremovals of Iraqi asylum seekers from Australia. But on 7 June, the
\nAustralian government forcibly deported an Iraqi man from Brisbane to
\nIraq. The man was accompanied by four Australian guards on the flight
\nto Basra.<\/p>\n
Refugee supporters will rally in Cronulla and march on the electorate
\noffice of Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison, 12 noon, Saturday, 21
\nJune.<\/p>\n
The rally will begin in Monro Park (opposite the Cronulla railway
\nstation) and then march on Morrison\u2019s electorate office.<\/p>\n
Speakers at the rally will include, David Shoebridge (Greens MLC NSW), Genevieve Kelly, NSW state secretary NTEU, Matt Anslow (one of the Christians arrested at the prayer vigil in Scott Morrison\u2019s office), Alexander McRae (St George\/Sutherland Shire Refugee Support Group), and Afghan and other refugees.<\/p>\n
The rally and march will call for justice for Reza Barati, the asylum seeker killed on Manus Island on 17 February, and for an end to offshore processing.<\/p>\n
For more information contact Ian Rintoul mob 0417 275 713<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For most of the day, yesterday, Friday, 20 June, Iraqis in at least two compounds in the Manus Island detention centre held peaceful protests calling for \u201cFreedom\u201d. The protests come the wake of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison\u2019s rejection of calls by the Greens and refugee advocates for Iraqi asylum seekers in Australia to be allowed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311091,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-press-releases"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t