This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/feb/08/let-them-stay-renewed-protests-around-australia-over-planned-removal-of-asylum-seekers-live
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Let Them Stay: renewed protests around Australia over planned removal of asylum seekers – live | Let Them Stay: renewed protests around Australia over planned removal of asylum seekers – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 8.54am GMT | |
| 08:54 | |
| We’ve neglected Brisbane, which also turned out a decent crowd this evening, as you can see below. | |
| Tonight #Brisbane has shown its compassion #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/tTMfo5jf81 | |
| Most of the 6pm demonstrations have now wrapped up, leaving just one more big effort in Perth at 7pm local time, which is about two hours’ away. | |
| An amazing turn out across Australia, it's our turn now Perth. 7pm St George's Cathedral #LetThemStay https://t.co/VEgIEC6eoC | |
| With that, we’re closing off our coverage of the evening’s demonstrations. Estimates of the crowds in Melbourne and Sydney alone exceeded 10,000, with more protests planned later this week. If and when they eventuate, you’ll read about them here. | |
| 8.33am GMT | 8.33am GMT |
| 08:33 | 08:33 |
| In Newcastle, another healthy turnout asking the federal government to reconsider plans to ship the 267 asylum seekers back to Nauru. | In Newcastle, another healthy turnout asking the federal government to reconsider plans to ship the 267 asylum seekers back to Nauru. |
| Strong message from #Newcastle lots of doctors, nurses in the crowd #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/TSaABLFkj0 | Strong message from #Newcastle lots of doctors, nurses in the crowd #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/TSaABLFkj0 |
| More than 100 rally to free refugees from detention at #Newcastle's Wesley Uniting Ch. @1233newcastle #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/reKxnEJXyo | More than 100 rally to free refugees from detention at #Newcastle's Wesley Uniting Ch. @1233newcastle #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/reKxnEJXyo |
| 8.29am GMT | 8.29am GMT |
| 08:29 | 08:29 |
| Rallies in Melbourne and Sydney around finishing up now, but continue elsewhere. Lots of readers have sent us pictures from protests last Thursday in our Guardian Witness assignment here: | Rallies in Melbourne and Sydney around finishing up now, but continue elsewhere. Lots of readers have sent us pictures from protests last Thursday in our Guardian Witness assignment here: |
| Related: #LetThemStay: share your stories if you are joining protests around Australia | Related: #LetThemStay: share your stories if you are joining protests around Australia |
| We’d love to see more from tonight’s events, do send some through! | We’d love to see more from tonight’s events, do send some through! |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.31am GMT | at 8.31am GMT |
| 8.08am GMT | 8.08am GMT |
| 08:08 | 08:08 |
| As we hear crowds in Melbourne are (roughly) estimated to have reached around 6,000, plans for further protests this week are under way. | As we hear crowds in Melbourne are (roughly) estimated to have reached around 6,000, plans for further protests this week are under way. |
| Teachers For Refugees say more than 10,000 schools, universities, tafes etc will take part in a #LetThemStay protest on wed and thurs. | Teachers For Refugees say more than 10,000 schools, universities, tafes etc will take part in a #LetThemStay protest on wed and thurs. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.29am GMT | at 8.29am GMT |
| 7.58am GMT | 7.58am GMT |
| 07:58 | 07:58 |
| Calla Wahlquist | Calla Wahlquist |
| Krysia Heron and Kelsey Minto are concerned about violence women might face in detention. They were among a crowd of more than 5,000 gathered outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne to protest against the potential removal of 267 asylum seekers currently living in Australia, including 37 babies that were born here. | Krysia Heron and Kelsey Minto are concerned about violence women might face in detention. They were among a crowd of more than 5,000 gathered outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne to protest against the potential removal of 267 asylum seekers currently living in Australia, including 37 babies that were born here. |
| Kelsey Minto and Krysia Heron: We oppose the unnecessary harm and trauma these children will suffer. #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/nCUBanO1BE | Kelsey Minto and Krysia Heron: We oppose the unnecessary harm and trauma these children will suffer. #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/nCUBanO1BE |
| “I oppose the unnecessarily harm and trauma that these children and their parents will suffer,” Heron said. “I believe that Australia has the systems in place to look after these children.” | “I oppose the unnecessarily harm and trauma that these children and their parents will suffer,” Heron said. “I believe that Australia has the systems in place to look after these children.” |
| The protest is even larger than the one that blocked Melbourne streets on Thursday, a day after the high court decision. It’s also more organised – there’s a PA and an Auslan interpreter. | The protest is even larger than the one that blocked Melbourne streets on Thursday, a day after the high court decision. It’s also more organised – there’s a PA and an Auslan interpreter. |
| Related: 'Yes and yes': Australian Capital Territory signals it will accept asylum seekers awaiting removal to Nauru | Related: 'Yes and yes': Australian Capital Territory signals it will accept asylum seekers awaiting removal to Nauru |
| Daniel Webb from the Human Rights Law Centre, who led the high court challenge, told the crowd his clients knew of the support they had in the community. A later mention of premier Daniel Andrews’s offer to let the 267 asylum seekers stay in Victoria got a rousing applause. | Daniel Webb from the Human Rights Law Centre, who led the high court challenge, told the crowd his clients knew of the support they had in the community. A later mention of premier Daniel Andrews’s offer to let the 267 asylum seekers stay in Victoria got a rousing applause. |
| Heron told Guardian Australia she was impressed by Andrews’s statement but didn’t know what it meant. | Heron told Guardian Australia she was impressed by Andrews’s statement but didn’t know what it meant. |
| “I thought it was really fantastic, I liked what he wrote in the letter, but I am unsure of how influential it will be and what weight will be put to it,” she said. | “I thought it was really fantastic, I liked what he wrote in the letter, but I am unsure of how influential it will be and what weight will be put to it,” she said. |
| Toni Simioni agreed. I think if there’s the option of letting them stay in Victoria, I think a lot of people would support that,” she said. “Whether it will work I don’t know, but I think pressure has to come from all angles.” | Toni Simioni agreed. I think if there’s the option of letting them stay in Victoria, I think a lot of people would support that,” she said. “Whether it will work I don’t know, but I think pressure has to come from all angles.” |
| None of these three women attended last week’s rally, but all have protested on behalf of asylum seekers before. “These children, and I think all asylum seekers, should stay in Australia,” Simioni said. | None of these three women attended last week’s rally, but all have protested on behalf of asylum seekers before. “These children, and I think all asylum seekers, should stay in Australia,” Simioni said. |
| Chant. #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/BC9UstYhnb | Chant. #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/BC9UstYhnb |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.31am GMT | at 8.31am GMT |
| 7.48am GMT | 7.48am GMT |
| 07:48 | 07:48 |
| One resounding demand ringing out in Melbourne, and at protest sites across the country. | One resounding demand ringing out in Melbourne, and at protest sites across the country. |
| @TurnbullMalcolm can you hear us?? #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/4DQu0Chvrm | @TurnbullMalcolm can you hear us?? #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/4DQu0Chvrm |
| 7.38am GMT | 7.38am GMT |
| 07:38 | 07:38 |
| Some of the signs on display in Sydney: | Some of the signs on display in Sydney: |
| One of my favourite signs at the Sydney rally #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/M6tfUhLzFT | One of my favourite signs at the Sydney rally #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/M6tfUhLzFT |
| Here with a pretty radical message #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/1qig1llgDz | Here with a pretty radical message #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/1qig1llgDz |
| 7.33am GMT | 7.33am GMT |
| 07:33 | 07:33 |
| In Canberra, too, a crowd has gathered to send Australia’s nearby political leaders a message. | In Canberra, too, a crowd has gathered to send Australia’s nearby political leaders a message. |
| "Offering hope & the life that we value for ourselves" Reverend Mark of Gungahlin Uniting Church #LetThemStay #CBR pic.twitter.com/5GGfXYYI9c | "Offering hope & the life that we value for ourselves" Reverend Mark of Gungahlin Uniting Church #LetThemStay #CBR pic.twitter.com/5GGfXYYI9c |
| #LetThemStay i want to be part of a people who are marked as passionate and fearless not fearful - Rev Mark Faulkner pic.twitter.com/FAoY1wZexp | #LetThemStay i want to be part of a people who are marked as passionate and fearless not fearful - Rev Mark Faulkner pic.twitter.com/FAoY1wZexp |
| Here’s a scene from the protest in Wollongong. | Here’s a scene from the protest in Wollongong. |
| Let the little poppets stay says a little girl at north Wollongong at #LetThemStay gathering pic.twitter.com/VWXoGAxdpf | Let the little poppets stay says a little girl at north Wollongong at #LetThemStay gathering pic.twitter.com/VWXoGAxdpf |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.36am GMT | at 7.36am GMT |
| 7.30am GMT | 7.30am GMT |
| 07:30 | 07:30 |
| .@DanielHRLC addressed the Melbourne #LetThemStay rally. There may be even more people her today than last week. pic.twitter.com/md0Hfbk1FY | .@DanielHRLC addressed the Melbourne #LetThemStay rally. There may be even more people her today than last week. pic.twitter.com/md0Hfbk1FY |
| Calla reports that mention of Daniel Andrews’s offer to settle the 267 asylum seekers in Nauru got a big cheer. | Calla reports that mention of Daniel Andrews’s offer to settle the 267 asylum seekers in Nauru got a big cheer. |
| Related: Victoria will take the 267 asylum seekers, Daniel Andrews tells Malcolm Turnbull | Related: Victoria will take the 267 asylum seekers, Daniel Andrews tells Malcolm Turnbull |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.32am GMT | at 8.32am GMT |
| 7.26am GMT | 7.26am GMT |
| 07:26 | 07:26 |
| Uncle Ken Canning has just spoken in Sydney. He told the crowd: | Uncle Ken Canning has just spoken in Sydney. He told the crowd: |
| What chance do refugees have if there is a bipartisan consensus to keep them out of the country? To treat people like this is to kill those people. It’s a long slow death. It’s an act of shame and of gross cowardice. | What chance do refugees have if there is a bipartisan consensus to keep them out of the country? To treat people like this is to kill those people. It’s a long slow death. It’s an act of shame and of gross cowardice. |
| Ken Canning at #letthemstay pic.twitter.com/uCHdXYjUGr | Ken Canning at #letthemstay pic.twitter.com/uCHdXYjUGr |
| Strong words also from the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, who said: “Our politicians have failed to deliver policies that address the global refugee crisis. They are lily-livered and gutless: more concerned with winning votes than saving lives.” | Strong words also from the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, who said: “Our politicians have failed to deliver policies that address the global refugee crisis. They are lily-livered and gutless: more concerned with winning votes than saving lives.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.26am GMT | at 7.26am GMT |
| 7.24am GMT | 7.24am GMT |
| 07:24 | 07:24 |
| Protests are also well underway in Melbourne. We’re awaiting estimates of the crowd but photos posted to Twitter show a healthy size. | Protests are also well underway in Melbourne. We’re awaiting estimates of the crowd but photos posted to Twitter show a healthy size. |
| Another amazing turn out in Melbourne to #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/TGRl4dOvsa | Another amazing turn out in Melbourne to #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/TGRl4dOvsa |
| #LetThemStay protest in Melbourne pic.twitter.com/QQBMCdB1jW | #LetThemStay protest in Melbourne pic.twitter.com/QQBMCdB1jW |
| Melbourne stands #LetThemStay @GetUp pic.twitter.com/1J6PeaOtTY | Melbourne stands #LetThemStay @GetUp pic.twitter.com/1J6PeaOtTY |
| 7.14am GMT | 7.14am GMT |
| 07:14 | 07:14 |
| Via GetUp!, here’s the partial list of demonstrations planned this evening — the full, very extensive list is here. | Via GetUp!, here’s the partial list of demonstrations planned this evening — the full, very extensive list is here. |
| About to start - in capital cities and all over Australia: https://t.co/FsjUEPA0A1 #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/3hIdWLCmG7 | About to start - in capital cities and all over Australia: https://t.co/FsjUEPA0A1 #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/3hIdWLCmG7 |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.21am GMT | at 7.21am GMT |
| 7.11am GMT | 7.11am GMT |
| 07:11 | 07:11 |
| My colleague Paul Karp is in Town Hall Square in Sydney, where he reports that hundreds have already gathered. | My colleague Paul Karp is in Town Hall Square in Sydney, where he reports that hundreds have already gathered. |
| A few hundred here for 6pm kickoff of Sydney at Town Hall square #letthemstay rally pic.twitter.com/rWtOIfj6gm | A few hundred here for 6pm kickoff of Sydney at Town Hall square #letthemstay rally pic.twitter.com/rWtOIfj6gm |
| Among them are Islay Clark and her husband Howard. Islay says, “I am against the scaremongering. People seeking asylum is a difficult issue and they are being used as a scapegoat.” | Among them are Islay Clark and her husband Howard. Islay says, “I am against the scaremongering. People seeking asylum is a difficult issue and they are being used as a scapegoat.” |
| And Howard: “I vehemently disagree with the government and opposition policies to return this latest group of refugees to Nauru. Returning vulnerable people compounds the immorality and wrong acts they are fleeing.” | And Howard: “I vehemently disagree with the government and opposition policies to return this latest group of refugees to Nauru. Returning vulnerable people compounds the immorality and wrong acts they are fleeing.” |
| Islay and Howard Clark at #letthemstay protests pic.twitter.com/PT0QXCZTju | Islay and Howard Clark at #letthemstay protests pic.twitter.com/PT0QXCZTju |
| 7.07am GMT | 7.07am GMT |
| 07:07 | 07:07 |
| Michael Safi | Michael Safi |
| Good evening, around Australia tonight thousands are rallying in cities and regional centres as part of the budding #letthemstay movement, aimed at preventing the removal of 267 asylum seekers, including 37 babies, from the Australian mainland to detention in Nauru. | Good evening, around Australia tonight thousands are rallying in cities and regional centres as part of the budding #letthemstay movement, aimed at preventing the removal of 267 asylum seekers, including 37 babies, from the Australian mainland to detention in Nauru. |
| Protests were held across Australia on Thursday, and in past days artists, writers, state and territory leaders and ordinary citizens have voiced their support for the asylum seekers, most of who were detained in Nauru and have been flown to Australia for medical treatment. | Protests were held across Australia on Thursday, and in past days artists, writers, state and territory leaders and ordinary citizens have voiced their support for the asylum seekers, most of who were detained in Nauru and have been flown to Australia for medical treatment. |
| On the ground in Sydney is my colleague Paul Karp and in Melbourne, Calla Wahlquist. Demonstrations are also planned in Noosa Heads, Wollongong, Darwin, Canberra, and right around the country. | On the ground in Sydney is my colleague Paul Karp and in Melbourne, Calla Wahlquist. Demonstrations are also planned in Noosa Heads, Wollongong, Darwin, Canberra, and right around the country. |
| If you’re attending one of this evening’s protests please do get in touch, either in the comments below, via our Facebook page, or on Twitter, and send us your pictures, videos and thoughts. | If you’re attending one of this evening’s protests please do get in touch, either in the comments below, via our Facebook page, or on Twitter, and send us your pictures, videos and thoughts. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.21am GMT | at 7.21am GMT |