Six Christian leaders have been arrested while holding a peaceful protest today in the office of Tasmanian Senator David Bushby.
The group held a prayer vigil from 12.30 pm and asked Senator Bushby to publicly support the urgent release of 127 children from immigration detention.
The group, which included local church leaders from Anglican, Salvation Army, Baptist and Uniting Churches, called on the government to deliver on a promise made last Christmas to release children from detention into the Australian community.
The vigil participants remained in the office until 5 pm when police arrested the group members. They were charged with trespass and later released on bail.
The group had earlier asked Senator Bushby to make a public statement stating that it is abhorrent that children are held in detention and insisting that the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister commit to the urgent and immediate release of children and their families from detention into the community.
Those arrested were social worker Kay Hunter (Baptist), ministers Captain Ben Clapham (Salvation Army) and Pastor James Hughes (Uniting Church), church leaders Beavan and Marion Peel (Anglican) and Love Makes A Way organiser Simon Reeves. Around a dozen other people were outside the Senator’s office to show support for the action. They included the Very Rev’d Richard Humphrey, Dean of St David’s Anglican Cathedral; Mr David Reeve, Chairperson, Presbytery of Tasmania, Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania and Captain Craig Farrell, Territorial Youth Secretary of The Salvation Army Southern Territory.
Rev. Humphrey said detention centres were no place for children. “The overwhelming evidence from experts and inquiries is that prolonged detention causes harm and suffering to already traumatised children,” he said. “Closed detention causes and compounds mental health issues and children in these offshore centres are being exposed to abuse. Every day that a child is kept in closed detention, it causes them harm. We cannot stand by and watch this happen”.
“We call on the Government to release from closed detention every child seeking asylum and to provide appropriate care in the community for them and their family while their claims are processed,” said Captain Craig Farrell.
“As Christians, we cannot be silent when government policies are causing suffering and physical and mental harm to children,” said children’s book author Christina Booth.
This prayer vigil is part of a national Christian movement of prayer and non-violence called Love Makes A Way. In the past 18 months, 25 vigils have been held around the country with almost 250 participants and 150 church leaders arrested.
The Love Makes A Way movement remains committed to seeing the children and their families released from detention.
EARLIER today on Tasmanian Times …
Christian leaders hold prayer sit-in at Tasmanian Senator Bushby’s office
Local, state and national church leaders ask Senator David Bushby to publicly support the urgent release of 127 children and families from immigration detention.
Christian leaders from various denominations have this afternoon begun a prayer vigil in the office of Tasmanian Senator David Bushby over concerns for the safety of children held in immigration detention.
The group is calling on the government to deliver on its promise last Christmas to release into the Australian community every child and to provide appropriate care while these claims are being processed.
The group of 5 includes local church leaders from Anglican, Salvation Army, Baptist and Uniting Churches. The group intends to remain in prayer inside Sen. Bushby’s office at Rosny Park for as long as possible or until Senator Bushby accepts an invitation to make a public statement stating that it is abhorrent that children are held in detention and insists that the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister commit to the urgent and immediate release of children and their families from detention into the community.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Tasmanian based children’s book author Christina Booth said, “Despite the promises of the Federal Government in the lead up to Christmas, it is concerning and distressing that children who are refugees are not being released from detention by the Government. Children need a safe and nurturing environment in which to grow. Australians do not want children exposed to serious and unnecessary trauma”.
There is strong support for the vigil from state and national church leaders. Attending today are the Very Rev’d Richard Humphrey, Dean of St David’s Anglican Cathedral; Mr David Reeve, Chairperson, Presbytery of Tasmania, Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania and Captain Craig Farrell, Territorial Youth Secretary of The Salvation Army Southern Territory.
Rev. Humphrey said “detention centres are no place for children”. “The overwhelming evidence from experts and inquiries is that prolonged detention causes harm and suffering to already traumatised children,” he said. “Closed detention causes and compounds mental health issues and children in these offshore centres are being exposed to abuse. Every day that a child is kept in closed detention, it causes them harm. We cannot stand by and watch this happen”.
“We call on the Government to release from closed detention every child seeking asylum and to provide appropriate care in the community for them and their family while their claims are processed,” said Captain Craig Farrell.
Members of the group have attempted to make contact with Sen. Bushby and other MP’s over the years; yet have been disappointed with inadequate responses that fail to protect children in or facing detention on Nauru or Manus. “As Christians, we cannot be silent when government policies are causing suffering and physical and mental harm to children,” said Mrs Booth.
This prayer vigil is part of a national Christian movement of prayer and non-violence called Love Makes A Way. In the past 18 months, 25 vigils have been held around the country with almost 250 participants and 150 church leaders arrested.
More about Love Makes A Way and Nonviolent Direct Action
The participants in today’s action represent the many members of a nationwide grassroots movement.
To asylum seekers the Australian Government says ‘NO WAY!’ But this is a growing movement of Christians that says ‘Love Makes A Way’.
Since March 2014, over 250 priests, pastors, nuns and other Christian leaders have engaged in peaceful civil disobedience in 25 different actions to ‘raise the alarm’ about the appalling treatment of asylum seekers. These have included vigils in offices of MPs from both major parties, including Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. In Tasmania, a vigil was held in the Launceston office of Federal MP Andrew Nikolic last October. A Service of Hope for Asylum Seekers was also conducted in the Anglican cathedral in Hobart in December.
The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce has described the treatment of unaccompanied children seeking asylum as ‘state-sanctioned child abuse’. Churches, and Christians across Australia have been involved in supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the community for decades. Christians are frustrated that despite ongoing engagement, children remain in closed detention.
In all their actions, Love Makes A Way seeks to invite policy-makers to find a better way and promises to support them in these efforts.
• Pete Godfrey in Comments: Good on those people for holding a vigil. It is confusing to me how they could be charged with trespass. Senator Bushby’s office would be funded by taxpayers, so in effect the office is public property. It is time that the public were allowed to be on public property without being charged with criminal offences. I find it offensive that the politician found it necessary to call the police in to arrest people praying.
