Palm Sunday Rally for Refugees – Week of Online Actions
Join the call – support for all in need! Be part of the week of online actions to Palm Sunday, April 5. Palm Sunday Rally for Refugees is going ahead – online!
The COVID-19 crisis is affecting all of us. Scott Morrison’s government says ‘we’re in this together’. And yet, the government’s actions are increasing the health and accompanying economic risks for refugees and asylum seekers:
- People on Bridging Visas are excluded from receiving the supplementary payments or having access to Medicare. Thousands of people seeking asylum were put in severe economic hardship when their meagre government support was cut off over 2 years ago. Thousands will now lose their jobs. Without any support, they will become absolutely destitute.
- People in onshore immigration detention facilities face an increased risk of COVID-19 infections. Already a Serco guard in a Brisbane detention facility has contracted the virus. The cramped conditions in which up to 1400 people are confined pose a serious risk of a rapid virus spread thereby increasing the risk across the community. The government must move everyone out of these facilities and into appropriate housing in the community.
If ‘we’re all in this together’, support must be provided to all in need!
Palm Sunday rally for refugees is going ahead – online!
While the Coronavirus has forced us indoors, we’re not going away – we’re going online! Starting this Monday, 30 March, we’re asking you to be part of a week of online actions as we head towards Palm Sunday, April 5. These are activities that you can do without leaving your home – we can still be active in this campaign and stay connected!
By email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, we will continue to raise awareness about the situation facing refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia.
Actions Each Day! A Countdown to Palm Sunday
Each day from Monday 30 March, we’ll be sending out and posting about a simple activity, please take a little bit of time out of your day to participate:
Monday 30 March – Sign & share the petitions. Pass on the graphic with your family, friends and your network.
Tuesday 31 March – update your Facebook profile frame. Watch and share our first video.
Wednesday 1 April – Call your local MP – let them know that you want the government to support all those in need. Share the new infographic with your virtual community.
Thursday 2 April – Write to and email your local MP – reiterate your support that care is given to all in need. Watch and share the second video.
Friday 3 April – Support the ASRC fundraiser to financially assist people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in this crisis. Share the new infographic with your community.
Saturday 4 April – Create a sign or banner that you can hold up in a selfie photo supporting people from refugee and asylum backgrounds – let your creativity abound! Share the new infographic with others.
Sunday 5 April – Palm Sunday – Log in to the Facebook livestream at 1pm. Post your selfies and share widely, or email us your selfie photo and we’ll post it for you. Let’s be as visible as we can!
Over the next week, we’ll be posting each morning with an activity that you can be part of. Please keep an eye out for these and stay involved – you can still be part of the campaign for justice for refugees, we’ll just need to be online for the next period.
If you have any queries, or want to know more – contact us on Facebook or Twitter!
