Australian parliament interrupted by pro-refugee protest
A group of protesters have interrupted a parliamentary session in the Australian capital Canberra, demanding reform of the government’s controversial asylum policy.
A crowd of about 30 protesters managed to get into the parliament’s public gallery, as parliamentarians were holding a session on Wednesday, with some of them gluing themselves to handrails and shouting pro-refugee slogans.
They were protesting against the remote detention centers where refugees are held.
The protesters were demanding that the government take action to resettle the refugees who have reached Australian shores. They shouted that the government’s offshore detention policy was "separating families" and "killing innocent people."
"We are here today because the madness has to stop."
Australian police had to intervene to break up the protest, tackling the “undemocratic” protesters to the ground and removing them from the chamber.
The parliament was suspended for 40 minutes, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull leaving the chamber. Both major parties condemned the interruption.
Under the harsh border security policy passed by Australia, asylum seekers who reach the shores are immediately sent to detention centers in Papua New Guinea's Manus Island and Nauru in the South Pacific to have their asylum requests processed.
The United Nations and right groups have denounced Australia’s policy of mandatory detention for asylum seekers, saying it violates international human rights law. According to the UN, Canberra’s punitive approach toward refugees has tarnished the country’s human rights record, and taken a toll on the refugees’ mental health.
A report by Amnesty International has even compared Australia’s camps in Nauru to an open-air prison.
But the government is defiant. It argues that its tough policy is meant to protect asylum seekers and prevent deaths at sea. Offshore detentions are supported by both political parties, especially the opposition Labor Party.
Wednesday’s protest came two weeks after Australia and the United States reached a resettlement deal for an unspecified number of asylum seekers held in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
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