LetThemStay Refugee Rally Sydney, February 8, 2016.Flickr/ Andrew Hill. Some rights reserved..Something incredible is happening in Australia this summer.
The immediate catalyst was a High Court case over the fate of 267 asylum seekers – including 54 children and 37 babies – that had been receiving medical treatment in mainland hospitals. When the High Court determined that it was lawful for the government to send these asylum seekers back to indefinite detention in Australian run camps on the Pacific islands of Nauru and Manus, it provoked an explosive response from refugee rights campaigners across the country. For refugee activists across the country, suddenly it feels as if change is possible.
Offers of sanctuary poured in from religious institutions, state premiers, and the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Meanwhile, healthcare workers vowed to refuse to allow children in their care to be sent back to Nauru.
