A GROUP of Armidale residents gathered on the weekend to protest the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island.
Dozens joined forces in the mall on Saturday and Sunday to make their concerns heard by the public, while on Sunday night more than 120 people gathered in Armidale’s Central Park with candles and observed a minute’s silence for 23-year-old Reza Berati, who was killed while in Australia’s care at the detention centre on Manus Island.
At the park, several people came forward to address the crowd, including a young girl who movingly imagined how dreadful it must be to have to flee your home and take enormous risks to get to safety.
Others, who had been at church earlier in the day, reflected on Christian teachings.
A former refugee, welcomed to Australia during the Cold War, acknowledged his family’s use of people smugglers, and stressed that Australia continues to have a treaty obligation to give asylum and provide protection.
The Sunday vigil, which was observed in more than 600 locations around Australia, was prompted by national organisation Get Up.
Armidale’s Rural Australians For Refugees will hold a meeting on Monday 3 March at 5.30pm in the Jacaranda Room in Kent House.
