Brisbane snaps to action against deportation

After eight days of demonstrations and a 24-hour vigil by refugee supporters, tens of Serco security guards and cops began to amass inside the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane on Saturday.

They were there to take Asha and her family. Hospital staff for more than a week have refused to discharge the one-year-old refugee into offshore detention. The government wants to send them back to the hell hole on Nauru.

A snap protest was organised to block any such move. Ros McLennan, general secretary of the Queensland Council of Unions, issued a call for support on social media. Within an hour, 400 people had gathered for a mass meeting.

We will still be fighting for an iron-clad guarantee from that brat, Peter Dutton … that that family will not be sent back to Nauru.

Serco guards had cut off the family from all communication with the outside world. We were told that they would leave by car with the guards, and would also be accompanied by Australian Federal Police officers.

An organiser from progressive advocacy organisation GetUp! argued that we should not prevent the removal, as it would distress the mother and potentially put at risk her chance of being granted asylum. Instead, we should maintain a silent vigil and not interfere.

Others argued that this was a recipe for demoralisation, and that the whole vigil would be pointless unless we intervened by blocking the roads and stopping the deportation. McLennan argued for the latter position. “We have come this far, the whole campaign was built to let Asha stay, we can’t just sit by and let this continue”, she said.

There were two roads to block and multiple exit points. At least 30 people were organised to cover each exit.

For many attendees, the picket was the first demonstration they had ever attended. In one corner, a man bought everyone ice creams and water. Passing cars honked their support. Some cyclists were persuaded to join in.

As the sun set, Kon Karapanagiotidis, CEO of the Melbourne-based Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, put out a call for supporters of the protest to organise pizza for us. We were overwhelmed with orders placed from all over Australia. What remained of the 250 pizzas was shared with hospital staff and homeless shelters.

At one of the main exits on Stanley Street, 100 people waited with signs and a banner reading: “Australian government: blood on your hands”. At first, people were looking around for direction, unsure of what to do. As cars exited, people stepped onto the roads, hesitantly looking into them.

Finally, an oversized van was spotted. Its windows were tinted so dark that it was impossible to see inside. When it was forced to stop at a red light, one protester took the initiative of jumping in front of it. There were guards inside. The rest of the crowd quickly followed. “Do you have Asha?”, they asked. The vehicle was not allowed to pass until an official from the manufacturing workers’ union had checked that the family was not inside. In the accompanying vehicle, a police officer smirked.

The picket wound up when Queensland Health announced that Asha would remain in the hospital for Saturday night at least.

The government has now announced that the family will be placed in community detention.

McLennan argues that this backdown is the result of the actions of the hospital staff and the protesters outside. The turning point was when we took direct action to block and inspect cars leaving the hospital.

“There was increased security all day”, she said. “They had clearly made a decision to move baby Asha. But what happened? Hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of Brisbanites came down here. [The government has] just done a backflip of Olympic proportions.”

GetUp! took to social media. “Victory, We won! Minister announces Baby Asha & Family to be released into community in Australia”, it announced. But community detention is not a solution. Asha and her family are still at risk. Immigration minister Peter Dutton reportedly vowed on Monday morning that they will be returned to Nauru.

His word won’t be the end of it. “We will still be fighting for an iron-clad guarantee from that brat, Peter Dutton … that that family will not be sent back to Nauru”, McLennan said.