:: for those creative activists who want to seek political asylum at the
Norwegian consulate tomorrow, to highlight Australia's appalling treatment
of refugees ::
1:30 pm Friday 2/11/2001
outside the Norwegian Consulate,
420 High Street, Kew.
MEDIA RELEASE: Thursday 1 November, 2001, for immediate release
Australians seek political asylum in Norway: Greens candidates file for
political asylum to raise questions about Australia's treatment of asylum
seekers.
Greens candidates have joined with a crowd of other Australians today at the
Norwegian consulate seeking political asylum in Norway. The reason they give
for wanting to seek refuge in another country is 'spiritual asylum' from the
current government policies on asylum seekers and the bombing of
Afghanistan.
David Collis, Australian Greens candidate for the electorate of Bruce, says
the real tragedy lies in our loss of national character:
"Our action today is not intended to trivialise the dangers faced by asylum
seekers fleeing to Australia. Rather, we want to highlight how spiritually
dangerous it has become to live in Australia. We as a nation are losing our
compassion for other human beings and hence our capacity to be human beings.
With every boatload of asylum seekers we turn away, we lose a little bit of
our own humanity. With every innocent child locked away in brutal detention
centres, we lock away a piece of our own hearts."
Mr Collis suggests other countries can see our humanitarian decline:
"Other countries are clear about how selfish Australia has become as a
nation. But we refuse to believe the uncomfortable truth. Other nations are
shaking their heads wondering how a once proud, generous and
self-sacrificial nation could have become so mean-spirited and oblivious to
the suffering of others. The Howard Government hasn't got the guts to
withdraw from the December 1951 international treaty on refugess. Instead it
has achieved the same outcome by excising Christmas Island from our
migration zone, a legal technicality that enables us to shirk our
responsibilities without losing face."
Mr Collis claims present political leadership is largely to blame:
"We are in a moral and spiritual recession brought on by the failure of the
major parties. Pauline Hanson initiated the idea of excising Christmas
Island from Australia's mainland, John Howard implemented it, and Kim
Beazley immediately obeyed. It's no wonder Pauline Hanson only got a handful
of people to her election launch. There is no need to support her now that
the major parties are implementing her policies."
Robyn Evans, the Deakin Greens candidate said that her views were totally
opposite to those of the Australian Government and the Opposition.
"It is an utter tragedy that 5000 people were murdered on Septmeber 11. Out
of respect for their deaths we must ask more than simply 'Who?' and 'How?',
we must also ask 'Why?'. Grief cannot obscure the fact that America trained
Osama Bin Laden in the tactics of terrorist warfare through the CIA. America
does not have the moral credibility to lead the capture of Osama Bin Laden.
America cannot act as judge, jury and executioner - not without throwing
away cherished Western notions of a fair trial in an independent court. The
first casualty of this war, even before any bombs were dropped, is justice."
Ms Evans claims the actions of the US and now Australia are illegal and
immoral.
"John Howard has set back international relations 50 years. The United
Nations is the proper body under which to take military action, not the flag
of the United States. The acts perpetrated against New York are crimes
against humanity, and we should treat them as such. Waging a war against a
civilian population is inhumane, is highly unlikely to get the agent
responsible and will only confirm the view that the US is an international
bully."
Ms Evans accused both the Government and Opposition of failing their duty to
the Australian people.
"To take Australia to war under the flag of a foreign country is putting the
domestic peace and security of our nation at risk, as well as seriously
undermining the wonderful Australian spirit of generosity and a sense of a
fair go. We should be able to expect leadership from Howard and Beazley, not
a cowardly retreat behind jingoism."
Authorised by Robyn Evans, 377 Lt Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000
For further information contact David Collis 0404 087 561 or Robyn Evans
0407 324 542.
Available for comment outside the Norwegian Consulate, 420 High Street,
Kew, 1:30pm Friday 2/11 2001
--
Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/
Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop
Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink
Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
