Protests demand closure of Australian refugee centers

These Sydney protesters constituted part of a national day of action

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Thousands of protesters have joined demonstrations across Australia urging the government to close controversial refugee detention centers.

The coordinated day of rallies was organized by critics of the detention system who claim the centers represent a breach of human rights.

More than 2,000 people rallied in Melbourne's city centre, while in Sydney up to 1,000 people marched to the Villawood Detention Centre. Smaller protests were held in other major cities.

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"Australia's system of mandatory detention is a clear breach of international law. We are the only western nation to have such a harsh policy," Amnesty International Victorian Refugee Team spokeswoman Annie Davis told the Melbourne protest.

The rallies follow a series of riots at detention centers over the past year, including rampage by asylum seekers at the Curtin Detention Centre, near Derby in northwest Australia, where tear gas was used to restore calm.

The conservative government and opposition Labor party have both backed the policy of locking up all illegal asylum seekers, including children, in remote outback camps while their claims are processed.

A small trial release of up to 25 women and children is planned from the outback Woomera Detention Center into a nearby town, possibly this month.

Refugee Action Collective spokesman Ian Rintoul said Sunday's rallies highlighted rising community concern about the camps.

"The shifting community opinion is starting to have an impact on the politicians and that is what we want to see," he told Reuters.

Illegal immigrants

The rally in Melbourne was told the state Victorian branch of the Labor Party had this weekend endorsed a motion calling for the detention center to be replaced by reception centers.

Refugee groups want asylum seekers quickly processed at reception facilities and then allowed into the community while their applications are considered.

Refugee groups said Sunday that about 4,000 people, many from Iraq and Afghanistan, were held in the camps but far greater numbers of illegal western immigrants lived in the community.

Refugee Action Collective spokeswoman Judy McVey said the Coalition, which faces an election this year, wanted to win the vote of supporters of the right-wing xenophobic One Nation Party.

"Refugees are not a threat to the Australian people. We have to welcome the refugees and fight back against racism," she told the protest.

Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock on Saturday rejected calls for an investigation into the detention centers.

"I am not going to weaken in relation to those matters. It would not serve the interests of the Australian people as a whole," he said.

Ruddock said the Curtin center rioters were mainly Afghans and condemned their actions as an attempt to avoid being kicked out of the country.

"It was an ugly situation, very unnecessary," Ruddock said Saturday.

"It has led to considerable damage to not only a small building, but also a number of tents that are used for detention officers."