Peter and Mike hold the Welcome Scroll – showing Coffs Harbour’s entry..
113 Refugee Welcome Zone Councils have added their names to the Welcome Scroll.
The Scroll stopped briefly in Valla Beach on its journey back to its Bendigo base after it’s Queensland trip. It has now visited many RWZ Councils in Victoria, NSW, ACT, SA and Queensland.
Bellingen and Nambucca District RAR Monthly Markets
Reza Barati
On 17th February 2014, Reza Barati, a 23 year old Iranian asylum seeker, was brutally murdered by a group of G4S guards, whose job it was to protect him. Eventually, in 2016, two local guards were convicted of his murder and sentenced to five years in jail. The judge gave them a lenient sentence on the basis that two other guards involved in Reza’s murder – an Australian and a New Zealander – had left the Island and had not been arrested or charged. Their identities are apparently known to the authorities, but they remain at large. Our group was established soon after Reza’s death. We were deeply shocked by the incident, and by the Minister’s attempt to blame the refugees for the death and the many injuries inflicted on asylum seekers on that fateful night. We initially had about 40 supporters. That number has grown over the years to more than 560, reflecting as it does the very significant community anger about our government’s cruel and inhumane asylum policies. We need to keep up the fight for the closure of the offshore centres and for the permanent resettlement of all the genuine refugees who currently languish in these two hellholes.
Market dates for 2019
Our stalls at local markets are a great way to interact with the general public and to raise awareness of the important issue of asylum seeker policy. The dates are as follows:
Saturday 19th January: Bellingen
Saturday 2nd February: Valla Beach
Saturday 16th March: Bellingen
Saturday 6th April: Valla Beach
Saturday 18th May: Bellingen
Saturday 1st June: Valla Beach
Saturday 20th July: Bellingen
Saturday 3rd August: Valla Beach
Saturday 21st September: Bellingen
Saturday 5th October: Valla Beach
Saturday 16th November: Bellingen
Saturday 7th December: Valla Beach
Upcoming roadside demonstrations.
Every second Thursday we hold a roadside demonstration on the Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour, or Waterfall Way in Bellingen. We hold up our banners and placards and ask people to “Honk for Human Rights”. The response is overwhelmingly positive. Get in touch if you would like to know when and where, or subscribe to our newsletter, or consult our website.
All the demonstrations start at 2.30 pm and end at 4.00 pm.
Information:
Bumper Stickers available from Bellingen and Nambucca RAR
email Mike:
50 cents each plus postage, 60 cents each plus postage for “Real Australians”.
Peter and Mike hold the Welcome Scroll – showing Coffs Harbour’s entry..
