For the second time in the last month there is video evidence of police making serious unprovoked attacks on refugee activists. The refugee solidarity activists are seeking to free people medivac’d to Australia from offshore detention by Christmas. Both activists assaulted by police are peaceful and reasonable people.
The first attack took place at a refugee rights rally in Brisbane on Sunday 25 Oct 2020. A public video shows a member of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) being ‘king hit’ from behind by Senior Constable David Giddins (Public “Safety” Response Team).
The second assault by police took place on Monday evening (16 Nov 2020) at the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation (BITA). The vision (below) shows two police grab a solidarity activist in the middle of a peaceful protest march on a quiet road at BITA in Pinkenba near Brisbane. Police wrestle the man to the ground after placing him in a savage headlock. A large police officer pins the smaller man to ground using his knee. Both police twist his arms behind his back and handcuff him with his face down in the gravel beside the road. A male police officer then assaults an eye witness by grabbing her around the waist and begins pushing and shoving her. He appears to be in the process of arresting her until other eyewitnesses come forward and begin filming the incident with their phones.
Police have retaliated against the refugee solidarity activists since a number of people prevented the forceable extraction of a leading refugee from the Kangaroo Apartments in June 2020 (see image).
Police have been silent on the most recent attack but claimed the first against the unionist was ‘appropriate’. NTEU State Secretary Michael McNally disagreed defending his member against the attack which was unprovoked.
Both Federal and State government Ministers have come out against the refugee solidarity activists.
My guess is police are using social media platforms (eg Facebook, Telegram) profiling whom they attack at these demonstrations. This is a waste of police resources on events which are lawful under Queensland’s Peaceful Assembly Act 1992. Better organisation and co-operation is needed to protect protestors. For one, I think it absurd that the police riot squad (aka Public “Safety” Response Team) is used at these protests. It is high time the police minister, Mark Ryan, calls police to account for these assaults.
More refugees detained in Brisbane
This week the federal government transferred ten more refugees and asylum seekers from a hotel-prison in Darwin to the Meriton Apartments in Brisbane CBD (Adelaide Street).
The refugees are not allowed to leave their rooms and are confined, two people to a room, on the 71st floor of the Meriton building.
There is no fresh air, no place for smoking, no place for exercise, they have not been allowed to mix together and requests to visit people in other rooms have been denied.
A peak hour protest is planned for Friday afternoon 20 Nov 2020 at 4:30 @ Meriton on 485 Adelaide Street Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
The protest is hosted by Refugee Action Collective Queensland RAC and Refugee Solidarity Meanjin
Ian Curr
Paradigm Shift (4ZZZ fm 102.1 Fridays at Noon)
0407 687 016
Hello Ian,
There was a memo released to all Police according to the ABC post which follows the High ranking Police Officer’s Press conference you referred to , which advises Police when interacting with the Public which individuals may be of interest and lists a range of beliefs and ideologies held by individuals who may be referred to counter intelligence unit of Qld Police Service and yes mentions Christian fundamentalists and goes on to mention Socialists and Communists .
Her brief Press Conference of the 17 th February concentrated on Christian fundamentalists but the actual “ memo” released goes further which is elaborated in the “ memo” from the Police hierarchy and appears on my Facebook timeline page ie the page one shared posts etc dated 18 th February .
Yes refugee activists and no doubt those calling for the release of Julian Assange are without doubt monitored by security agencies and State and Federal Police .
Thanks for replying Ian may see you at May Day —
regards
Frank Malone
Thank you Frank for your post warning authorities that ground we won in the 1970s will not be given up.
I looked up the statement by the police officer you mentioned.
As far as I can see Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford has confined her comment to extremist right-wing christians … but that is not to say police do not target activists on the Left (socialists, anarchists and progressive Green) as the article above demonstrates.
in solidarity,
Ian
Hello Ian ,
On an ABC TV news bulletin high ranking Qld Police spokeswoman in response to Police Investigation of Tara shootings etc in December last year, revealed that Police would be referring to Counter terrorist Police agencies etc when interacting with the Public those people who harbour extremist views including Socialist and Communist views and ideologies .
I posted this ABC post on my Facebook site and reminded the authorities if the legality of social and communist parties in Australia etc I don’t think progressive forces in Brisbane and Qld can allow this statement to go unanswered –
regards
Frank Malone
Feb 18, 2023