Local to Global Activism: The Movement to Protect the Rights of Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Abstract

Abstract This paper explores the emergence of social movement action on the rights of asylum seekers in the Australian case. It focuses on new and growing collective action in the context of the neoliberal and neoconservative government of John Howard (1996–2007) and situates this rise within a generalizable and universal human rights movement. The detention and deportation of asylum seekers, which resulted in revitalized collective action, is detailed as the trigger for collective action. The paper argues that a combination of neoliberal values and new nationalism created a hostile environment for newcomers and proved a difficult environment for the solidarity evident in this new social movement. Keywords: Asylum seekerscivil societyneoliberalism'new' nationalismrefugeessocial movements Acknowledgements The author wishes to thank the journal editors and an anonymous reviewer for their critical comments on an earlier draft of this paper. Notes 1. It must be remembered that 'refugee' is strictly a legal category, describing an individual who has been found to have been persecuted in their country of origin on one of the substantive grounds articulated in the UN Refugee Convention. That is, a refugee has been through a legal determination process either in a country that is a signatory to the Refugee Convention or by officials of the United Nations. All other individuals who claim to be refugees – to need protection – are classified as asylum seekers. 2. The Sisters of Charity, for instance, run the Asylum Seekers Centre in Surry Hills, Sydney, serving as a meeting centre for asylum seekers and providing much needed language services, some legal assistance and assistance with day-to-day needs such as food, travel vouchers, phone cards and assistance in locating accommodation. 3. With the aid of hindsight we know, for instance, that some 84 per cent of those subject to immigration detention in Australia are found to be genuine refugees and are eventually released from detention. We also know that many of those forcibly removed from Australia are at risk of further harm when returned to a country of origin or a third state (Tazreiter, Citation2006). 4. It is important to note that the High Court of Australia upheld the government's right to detain asylum seekers indefinitely in three judgments handed down simultaneously in August 2004 (Al-Kateb v. Godwin [2004] HCA 27; Behrooz v. Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs [2004] HCA 36; Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs v. Al Khafaji [2004] HCA 38). 5. In October 2001, more than 350 people, mostly women and children seeking to join husbands and fathers, died when the boat they were travelling on, known as the Siev X, sank. A memorial to the dead has recently been built in Canberra, designed by school children. See http://www.sievxmemorial.com/index.html 6. The so-called 'children overboard' incident also occurred in October 2001, and led to a Senate inquiry, the Select Committee for an Inquiry into a Certain Maritime Incident, available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/Committee/maritime_incident_ctte/index.htm. The 'children overboard' incident relates to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Reith, claiming that a photograph released by the Australian navy showing asylum seekers in distress in the water after their boat was sinking shows the end result of asylum seekers deliberately throwing their children into the water to engage Australia's protection obligations. 7. Recently, the Canadian government granted this man refugee status and he now resides in Canada. Evidence gathered by various researchers suggests this is not an isolated case.