Queers Support Refugees – Protests Continue!

People are not taking Rudd’s refugee policy lying down. Within 17 hours, 1000 people were sitting in on George St Sydney, within 7 days 5000 people were protesting in Melbourne, while hundreds and hundreds converged each in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra, then another 2000 in Sydney the next day. These protests have been loud, angry, defiant and young.

This page is going to be continually updated for the rest of the year with every refugee protest in the country. If there are any omissions please email me at catherinerose87@gmail.com – but this list should be complete enough to help you join your local protest and spread the word.

Queer students are organising for this! If you are in Perth come to the working bee on Saturday 17 August http://www.facebook.com/events/208835439240465

Scroll down for information on the amazing level of queer support for refugees in the campaign so far.

SYDNEY

Rally4Refugees – Sydney University

10:00am Friday 16 August

Outside MacLaurin Hall, Sydney University

www.facebook.com/events/420085068109415

Pre-election rally: Welcome the refugee boats

1:00pm Saturday 24 August

Town Hall, Sydney

http://www.facebook.com/events/559158827481841

MELBOURNE

Stop Racism, Not the Boats: How can we rebuild a grassroots refugee movement?

6:30pm Friday 16 August

Trades Hall, Melbourne

http://www.facebook.com/events/368597879935400

RAC 2013 Election Debate: Opposed to the PNG “solution”? Sick of refugee bashing in elections?

6:30pm Wednesday 23 August

Trades Hall, Melbourne

http://www.facebook.com/events/384249948342148

TELL RUDD, TELL ABBOTT – NO PNG “SOLUTION” – LET THE REFUGEES IN!

1:00pm Saturday 24 August

State Library, Melbourne

http://www.facebook.com/events/545163988866871

BRISBANE

National Day of Action Against Rudd’s PNG Plan – Brisbane

1:00pm Saturday 24 August

Brisbane Square, Brisbane

http://www.facebook.com/events/501625773252776

PERTH

National Day of Action: Refugee Rights Rally Perth: Not Manus, Not Nauru, Refugees are Welcome Here

1:00pm Saturday 24 August

Murray St Mall, Perth CBD

http://www.facebook.com/events/768130646539128

The Pink Triangle

Queer Support

See our previous post for why queers are supporting refugees – https://nusqueer.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/queers-support-refugees-urgent-protests/.

So far there have been queer blocs at refugee protests in Melbourne and Sydney – we hope there will be more! People made placards and banners, and others pinned pink triangles made from felt to their shirts.

During the Holocaust homosexual men were made to wear downwards-facing pink triangles as badges to mark themselves out in the concentration camps. The UN Convention on Refugees was a result of the world’s shame at having turned away refugees of the Holocaust. The pink triangle reminds us that the right to seek asylum is a queer issue, one that is ongoing as queers are still forced to seek asylum from homophobic persecution, a right that is denied by sending people to Papua New Guinea where homosexuality is yet to be decriminalised.

What can you do to spread the word about upcoming protests?

Organise a pink bloc, make your own event to bring people with you, paint a banner and bring pink triangles for people to pin on. Gay Marriage Rights in Australia, a Facebook advocacy page, will be encouraging queer people and their friends to do this at refugee protests around the country, with the support of a number of Equal Love groups. Details of any existing pink blocs and queer support will be added here.

Invite ALL your Facebook friends, there’s even a script to make it easy – http://www.facebook.com/selectallfriendsmozilla/info

Share the event on your wall, post it to every Facebook group you are in, ask the event organisers for posters to put up and leaflets to hand out, start a mass text, email to any lists you are on, share it through your student union, student club, Student Rep Council and all of their departments (education/welfare/queer/women’s/ethnocultural/international etc etc).

Ask your student unions and trade unions to endorse the protest, bring a contingent and advertise it to their networks.

Get your friends to repeat the above!

We need to show that this is more than letting off steam, and that we are serious about stopping this humanitarian disaster from going ahead.

My Pink Triangle

Here are some photos of support for LGBTI refugees at one of the Sydney rallies. If you have more you would like to share send them to me at catherinerose87@gmail.com