More than 100 people attended a picnic outside Darwin Airport Lodge in solidarity with the refugees inside as part of Darwin’s Families for Families day on September 25.
The Darwin Airport Lodge is where most refugees who are in families, women or unattended minors are kept for processing. Some 150 were inside a year ago.
The picnic included entertainment from bands and a poet. Refugees could watch the entertainment and cheered every time more people arrived.
Greens Senator Sarah Hansen-Young spoke at the event, saying it was a “terrible shame” that so many people were languishing in detention.
Hansen-Young was in Darwin for the Senate inquiry into immigration detention that started the next day.
Detention centre security staff had advised picnic attendees to make no direct contact with the refugees, but solidarity infected to shout “welcome” and “we want freedom”.
A cake was brought to celebrate the first birthday of a girl born in detention at Villawood detention centre - her birthday was that day.
More pics at https://picasaweb.google.com/101988074510922297223/RefugeePicnicSeptember252011?authuser=0&feat=directlink
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