Australian Immigration: Protesters With Let Them Stay Banner Hang Over Melbourne Freeway

With the government’s decision of returning 267 asylum seekers back to Nauru from Australia, a backlash has been seen throughout the country.

People are protesting against the government’s decision. A campaign named as “LET THEM STAY” has been started all over the country.

The Let Them Stay campaign continued a peaceful protest in Melbourne. The protest continued on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway where two women protesters abseil from Yarra Bend bridge and unfold the banner saying Let Them Stay.  It lasted three hours.

Police went to the abseiling women but they simply refused to leave.  A search and rescue response unit also attended to the protest along with the police.

The protests are not limited to parks, buildings and freeways. These protests are also taking over the social media.

Protester Hannah Patchet, a 22 year Australian posted on Facebook that it’s heinous how we even have to protest torture against children. We are calling Australian government to fulfil their commitments regarding conventional human rights.

The protest started at 9 in the morning. The women protesters abseiling from the bridge landed on the ground at 11 am, exactly after three hours.

The Let Them Stay campaign is for keeping the 267 asylum seekers in Australia who are facing removal in Nauru. One of the protesters tweeted that it is inhumane of the Australian government to send back the asylum seekers to such a place from where they escaped.

The group of these 267 asylum seekers was brought to Australia either for their own treatment, or due to poor medical and health conditions of a family member. But this group also has 37 infants born in Australia. 54 children from this group are already attending schools in Australia.

On the matter of 37 babies born in Australia, the Australian immigration law says that they are not Australian nationals despite being born here due to the migration status of their parents. Their status will remain as illegal maritime arrivals.

The Australian high court’s decision in a case called M68 gave room to the government to expel the 267 asylum seekers to Nauru.

According to the high court, the government has the right to set up, fund and run detention centres in other countries.

People in Australia respect the high court’s decision but they are clearly against the idea of evacuating those already living in Australia under the Australian Immigration policy.

The government is determined to send back those 267 people but Dutton assures that the children are not going to face any harm.