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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Villawood protesters fail to disrupt transfer of asylum seekers | Villawood protesters fail to disrupt transfer of asylum seekers |
| (5 months later) | |
| Tensions flared outside Sydney's Villawood asylum seeker detention centre on Saturday, where protesters were trying to stop 45 detainees from being sent to Western Australia.About 100 people gathered outside the centre trying to disrupt the transfer of the asylum seekers to remote West Australian facilities in Curtin and Northam.Three people who broke through a police barrier were detained for a short time and were later released without being charged. | |
| Protest spokeswoman Clo Schofield said transferring the asylum seekers to remote parts of the country was an intentional move by the Department of Immigration and Border Control to isolate the detainees from their legal advisers and to avoid public scrutiny of their conditions. | Protest spokeswoman Clo Schofield said transferring the asylum seekers to remote parts of the country was an intentional move by the Department of Immigration and Border Control to isolate the detainees from their legal advisers and to avoid public scrutiny of their conditions. |
| Some of them are involved in legal action with the department after the publication earlier this year of their personal details on its website. | Some of them are involved in legal action with the department after the publication earlier this year of their personal details on its website. |
| But the department said the transfer was because of renovations being done at the Villawood centre. | But the department said the transfer was because of renovations being done at the Villawood centre. |
| The protest failed to stop the transfers, with two buses leaving the centre at about 10.30am.Ms Schofield said the eventual transfer was devastating and she criticised the police for their heavy handed treatment of protesters.She claimed a police dog had run free of its leash and attacked people at the rally."It was really frightening and all a bit insane," she said. | |
| "We condemn that violence and find it shocking." | "We condemn that violence and find it shocking." |
| The protesters had camped out on Friday night at the centre in anticipation of a transfer of more asylum seekers | |
| On Thursday eight protesters were arrested. | On Thursday eight protesters were arrested. |