Thanks to all volunteers and those who supported our Sanction Australia campaign during the Australian Federal Election 2019. Here are some points we have noticed during this period:
1. Stop Arguing with eX-detainees! Those folks who questioned us and left abusive comments, we ask you to go and talk to your xenophobic politicians and ask them to change. We only demanded our right to freedom, justice and protection. YOU need to change NOT us, or don?t label yourself as a refugee supporter, it is very cheap, insensitive, racist and xenophobic to undermine detention torture survivors and our self-determination.
2. Spending millions of dollars on billboard campaigns and hiring staff for election canvassing is not good for your health – give that money to the detainee and eX-detainee communities. While you are wasting money, our communities are suffering from poverty and torture.
3. Don?t be a secret Labor and Greens lover and pretend your ?election scorecard? is neutral – that is, you tell people to vote for Labor and Greens. What is there to hide? Otherwise, this is cheating and misleading tactics. Whether people agree with us or not we were upfront about our opinions and supporting facts during the federal election 2019. ?If we eX-detainees can, why can?t you?
Finally, we have to repeat this over and over: If you want to know what is our stance on issues affecting asylum seekers and refugees seeking protection from persecution, you will know this if you are LISTENING to us eX-detainees’ voices rather than listening to others who have never been forcibly locked up and tortured inside detention centres: We have been saying this for many years and here is the link to our demands http://riserefugee.org/exdetaineesdemands/
RISE Sanction Australia Campaign Coordinator