Politics

#BringThemHere: The Most Powerful Images From This Weekend’s Massive Refugee Rallies

Traffic in Melbourne was brought to a standstill.

by Tom Clift  5 November 2017
Manus Island Sign asylum seeker hamid kehazaei

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On Saturday, thousands of people marched through the streets of Sydney and Melbourne to highlight the growing crisis on Manus Island.

More than 600 asylum seekers remain inside the Australian detention centre on Manus without food, water, electricity or security, after the facility was officially shut down on Tuesday. The men have been told to leave, but fear they will be attacked by members of the local community who do not wish for them to settle in PNG.

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Traffic was brought to a standstill in the Melbourne CBD after several thousand people occupied the intersection outside Flinders Street Station.

Many of the protesters carried signs decrying Australia’s inhumane treatment of refugees, and accusing the government of crimes against humanity — a sentiment that was echoed by Greens MP Adam Bandt, who told the crowd that Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was “a terrorist”.

A post shared by Frances (@woman_ting_feels) on

This situation is so shameful. #cantstandby #bringthemhere #australia #manus

A post shared by Elissa Muller (@elissamuller) on

There were similar scenes in Sydney, where protesters marched through the city before gathering in Hyde Park.

Manus Emergency Rally #bringthemhere #manus

A post shared by Lise (@lisebuckeridge) on

A post shared by Lise (@lisebuckeridge) on

A post shared by Lise (@lisebuckeridge) on

A post shared by Lise (@lisebuckeridge) on

For more information on how you can contact Peter Dutton or your local representative and ask them to stand up for the rights of refugees, go here.

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Feature image via Jill Favero/Twitter