July 19 actions

Four years too long:

Close Manus, Close Nauru

On this 19 July, it will be four years since the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that people arriving by boat and seeking asylum would be held in the detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru and never allowed to settle in Australia. It has been four years in which people seeking help from Australia have been held against their will, been subjected to terrible mental and physical stress and, in some cases have lost their lives – either murdered by guards or through medical neglect. Many of those in these centres today have been there for almost that entire period.

The Manus Island and Nauru centres have been condemned by the UNHCR, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, by the Australian Human Rights Commission, by Amnesty International and by many others. This is an anniversary of international shame for Australia.

The newly-elected National Coordinating Committee of the Australian Refugee Action Network (ARAN) is supporting a call by GetUp to make 19 July a national day of action – calling for the immediate closure of these camps and for bringing the refugees and people seeking asylum immediately to Australia. Details of events around the country will be added when confirmed.

Actions on Wednesday 19 July

ACT

Canberra
Morning peak hour sign holding, 8-9am:
RAC will be displaying signs at key intersections around the city highlighting this anniversary of shame :
– Barry Dr / Northbourne Ave, Civic
– Antill St / Northbourne Ave, Dickson
– Melrose / Hindmarsh Drs, Woden

Lunchtime protest, 12.30-1.30, Dept. of Immigration & Border Protection, Chan St, Belconnen

Vigil 6pm Garema Place Facebook event here

Queanbeyan
Vigil 5.30pm Reconcilation Park (the northern end of Queanbeyan Park), Facebook event here

NSW

Albury
Vigil 6pm QE2 square, Dean St Event info here

Armidale
Vigil 12.30pm University of New England, Court Yard between Dixson Library and Lazenby Hall Event info here

Vigil 5.15pm Central Park, 125 Dangar St Event info here

Ballina
Vigil 5pm Missingham Park Event info here

Bega
Vigil 5pm Littleton Gardens Event info here

Bellingen
Vigil 5.30pm Lavender Bridge Park, 3 Hammond St Event info here

Braidwood
Vigil 5.45pm Provisions, 56B Wallace St Event info here

Dubbo
Vigil 5pm Uniting Church, 64 Church Street Event info here

Figtree
Vigil 5pm Zen Garden, 35 Walang Ave Event info here

Gosford
Vigil 5.30pm Gosford waterfront (next to Gosford pool) Event info here

Lismore
Vigil 5.30pm Lismore Transit Centre, 49 Magellan St Event info here

Moruya
Vigil 4.30pm St John’s Hall, 15 Page Street Event info here

Newcastle
Vigil 5pm Newcastle City Hall, 290 King St Event info here

Port Macquarie
Vigil 5pm Glasshouse, 40 Clarence St Event info here

Southern Highlands
Vigil 5pm, Corbett Plaza, 294 Bong Bong St, Bowral Event info here

Sydney
Vigil 6pm Hyde Park north Facebook event here

Tyalgum
Vigil 5.30pm BBQ Area, Coolman Street Event info here

Wollongong
Thursday 20 July Vigil 6pm Crown St Mall Facebook event here

Yass
Vigil 6pm Tootsie (out the front near the sheep) 289 Comur Street Event info here

NT

Darwin
Vigil 6.30pm Nightcliff Foreshore Facebook event here

Queensland

Brisbane
Vigil 6pm King George Square Facebook event here

Buderim
Vigil 5.30pm St Mark’s Anglican Church, 7-17 Main Street Event info here

Cairns
Vigil 6pm Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, 52-54 Esplanade Event info here

Coolangatta
Vigil 6pm Point Danger Event info here

Gold coast
Vigil 6pm Burleigh Heads near Mowbray Park SLSC, 1-43 Goodwin Tce, Burleigh Heads Event info here

Maleny
Vigil 5.30pm Tesch Park, Cnr Coral & Maple Streets Event info here

Noosa
Vigil 4-6pm Lions Park Noosa Heads, 1 Noosa Drive Event info here

Toowoomba
Vigil 5pm Queen’s Park, cnr Hume & Margaret Streets Event info here

Townsville
Vigil 6pm Office of Cathy O’Toole, 336 Ross River Road Event info here

South Australia

Adelaide
6pm Elder Park Rotunda Facebook event here

Tasmania

Devonport
Vigil 6pm St Paul’s Church Hall, 15 Thomas Street, East Devonport Event info here

Hobart
Vigil 6pm Parliament Lawns, 1 Salamanca Place Event info here

Launceston
Vigil 6pm Western end of City Park adjacent to monkey enclosure

Rosebery
Vigil 5pm Next to Rosebery Community House in the Park Event info here

Victoria

Ballarat
Vigil 5pm Queen Victoria Square Event info here

Bendigo
Vigil 6pm Rosalind Park, 1 View St Event info here

Castlemaine
Vigil 5pm On the steps of the Market building, Mostyn Street Event info here

Daylesford
Vigil 5:30pm Stanley Hammond statue, outside the Royal Hotel, Cnr Vincent & Howe Streets Event info here

Emerald
Vigil 6pm, Emerald Community House, 358 Belgrave Gembrook Rd Event info here

Geelong
5.15pm-6pm Vigil outside Sarah Henderson MP’s office, 3A/195 Colac Rd (cnr Rossack Drive & Colac Rd) Facebook event here

6pm-8pm, Vigil Wesley Church Hall, 100 Yarra St
Stations will be set up around the Wesley Church Hall where you can hear the words of the people who are unjustly held captive, see photos depicting the conditions of offshore detention, light a vigil candle or leave a message of compassion, or leave flowers. Event info here.

Hastings
Vigil 4.30pm Derek O’Toole walk, 54 High St Event info here

Kerang
Vigil 6pm More info at the Facebook event.

Melbourne
Vigil 6pm State Library Facebook event here

Mornington
Vigil 1pm Corner Barkly St & Octavia St Event info here

Queenscliff
Vigil 5pm Uniting Church, Cnr Hesse and Stokes St Event info here

Seaford
Vigil 6.30pm Seaford Pier Event info here

Stawell
Vigil 6pm Stawell Uniting Church, 13 Scallan St Event info here

Warrnambool
Vigil 11am Dan Tehan MP’s office, 73 Kepler St Event info here

Wonthaggi
Vigil 5.30pm, Wonthaggi library, Murray St Event info here

Woodend
Vigil 6pm St Ambrose Catholic Church, 17 Templeton St Event info here

WA

Margaret River
Vigil 5pm Outside The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River building, 41 Wallcliffe Rd Event info here

Perth
Vigil 6pm Northbridge Piazza, Northbridge Event info here

International

Berlin, Germany
Vigil 6pm Australian Embassy Berlin, Wallstraße, 76-79 Wallstraße Event info here

London, UK
Tuesday 18 July Vigil 5.30pm 45 Hyde Park Gate, Outside garden reception of High Commissioner Alexander Downer Facebook event here

Manila, the Philippines
Vigil 12pm, Australian Embassy Manila, Makati, NCR Event info here

Getup’s list of July 19 events here