[Nettime-bold] Refugee Embassy news flashes

["geert lovink" <geert@xs4all.nl>]

From: "Dave/Cherry" <ross777au@bigpond.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2002 5:08 PM
Subject: Refugee Embassy news flashes

Dave here, at the Refugee Embassy in Woomera.

I've just had an idea.  We are being totally cut off from the 
detainees as a result of the breakout (but we believe it is really 
because the Government was getting embarrassed by the hunger strike), 
so I am thinkng that we could make the next issue of the Freedom 
Banner an issue completely full of letters from well-wishers around 
Australia and overseas.

We will give preference to letters from overseas (or from remote 
parts of Australia), because we want them to know that their story is 
going out far and wide in spite of all that the Government is doing 
to block them from being heard.  (I was interviewed by BBC-TV World 
News last night, and they were very sympathetic!)

All phone lines have been blocked (both in and out), and visits have 
been stopped until further notice.  But it is against the law for 
them to interfere with mail going INTO the centre.  (Not that Ruddock 
has ever let a little thing like breaking the law stop him in the 
past!)  Hopefully if we address these Freedom Banners to the 
detainees themselves, they will receive them and it will give them 
courage to continue on.

By the way, I passed word on just before we were cut off, to one of 
the detainees that someone was thinking of going on a hunger strike 
in solidarity with them, and his voice began to break just on hearing 
it.  It would mean so much to them if someone with a lot of courage 
and the will to stick with it, were to go on a hunger strike in some 
capital city in Australia.  It needs to be done out in public, so 
people can see for themselves that you are not eating, so you would 
need a back-up team to provide shelter and warmth during the night. 
Best done in a very public place (mall, or even in front of 
Parliament).  Anyone brave enough to take up the offer?  You honestly 
do not know how much it could encourage these people, and it would 
also give the media something to focus on OUTSIDE the centre, that 
would direct public attention to what is quietly happening INSIDE. 
This needs to be done quickly, as they are slowly starving themselves 
to death.  The sooner we help them, the better, and maybe if someone 
will start, others will join.

Hope to hear from some of you soon.  Keep the letters short. 
Unfortunately, we will not have time to reply to them individually. 
Hope people will understand.  We'll use the best ones.

News note:  Our Refugee Embassy bus was totally covered in obscene 
spray-painted graffiti calling on the public to rape the refugees and 
shoot their supporters.  This is the kind of Nazi hooliganism that we 
are facing... all the way up to the top!

And while I'm here, some good news is that a 48-page booklet of 
Refugee Profiles, called "The Worst of Woomera" (the first 20,000 of 
them, at least) will be printed in Adelaide in the next two weeks. 
Those people who have offered to donate to support this, please 
deposit your donations in Ross' bank account as quickly as possible, 
so that we can keep our printer happy (as we are hoping to be able to 
do several print runs).  We will be sending out bundles of these to 
all the people who have written saying that they are willing to 
letter-box anything from 50 to a thousand copies.  We would request 
that people wanting free copies to distribute please send SOMETHING 
to help with the postage charges, so that we have some indication 
that you are genuine about distributing them (five cents apiece is 
fine).  This is because it is easy to ask for ten thousand copies of 
something just because it is free, with the very best intentions, and 
then not get around to distributing them.  We want genuine 
distributors, and a little payment on your part is a token of that. 
I hope you will understand.  The bank details for making payments is 
printed below.

Love and peace,

Dave McKay
Refugee Embassy
Woomera 5720
Phone: 0407-238805

make donations at any branch of the Westpac bank, by filling out a 
deposit slip in the name of:

Ross Parry
Account number 544-823
Branch number   735-065

Thanks, everyone, for your support!
 

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