By World BEYOND War, April 20, 2025
World BEYOND War Vice President Liz Remmerswaal from Aotearoa New Zealand was in Sydney Australia and attended the annual Palm Sunday Rally for Peace and Refugees at Belmore Park by Central Station, where she met up with some old and new friends from the peace movement.
The rally was addressed by a number of speakers including
- Abishek Selvakumar, a Tamil Refugee,
- Rod Benson, Uniting Church Minister and General Secretary of the New South Wales Ecumenical Council,
- Jasmine Alrawi, convenor of Students for Palestine at Sydney University,
- Natasha Watt, Senior Vice President of the New South Wales Teachers Federation,
- Sara Haddad, a Lebanese Australian writer,
- Dr Ruth Mitchell of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War,and Co-Chair of the Board of ICAN Australia.
It was chaired by a member of the Refugee Action Coalition.
Music was provided by the Trade Union choir and the Riff Raff Radical Marching Band.
Background to the rally
The second Trump presidency is already throwing away the rule book, reverting to the imperial principle that “might is right”. To answer the Trump attacks, we have to educate and organise for peace, for mutual respect, and for cooperative action to overcome the huge global challenges we face – global warming, widespread poverty, massive numbers of refugees, and increasing inequality.
After three years of the Labor government, 10,000 asylum seekers, who were rejected under the discredited fast-track system or transferred here from Manus and Nauru, continue to be denied permanent visas. They have been living precariously in Australia for up to 12 years.
Nauru was emptied in June 2023, but new boat arrivals have been sent there and there are now 94 people held at Nauru. Another 39 are still stuck in PNG with no support. The government is now trying to deport refugees to Nauru who were released from detention by the High Court. Since Labor was elected, nine asylum boats have also been turned around at sea, potentially returned to danger.
Labor has not lifted the ban imposed by the Morrison Coalition government on accepting refugees waiting in Indonesia. So 14,000 refugees, including 7,000 Afghans, remain stranded there.
In response to the genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, Australia has granted 2,922 Visitor visas to Palestinians up to August 2024, and rejected 7,111. But only 1,300 Palestinians have made it to Australia.
War on China?
The Australian government continues to prepare to join a US war on China – Trump’s priority. The US B-52 bombers are now based at RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory. Under AUKUS, American and British nuclear submarines will be based at HMAS Stirling near Fremantle, and the government is spending $368 billion on nuclear submarines. We need that $368 billion for public housing, fully funded schools, increased staff (and wages) in hospitals and aged care, and accelerated climate action.
We need to keep fighting for humanitarian refugee policies, and for the Australian government to end the alliance with the US war machine and consistently promote peace, not war.
