A dramatic stand-off between police and a group of squatters took place at the main campus of the University of Sydney on September 16. The squatters, who had been living at the abandoned St Michael鈥檚 College, staged a protest action during the eviction.
Liz Tysoe
I wasn鈥檛 really sure what to expect from the Villawood detention centre. Most of what I knew came from mainstream media, which usually ignores a particular perspective: that of the refugees themselves.
鈥淨ueue-jumpers鈥, 鈥渆xpensive鈥, 鈥渦nwelcome鈥, 鈥渟hould be sent back鈥 are common themes. This rhetoric reduces asylum seekers and their experiences to nothing more than blood-sucking parasites looking for a warm place to nestle.
鈥淏oat people鈥 make up only 3% of all refugees coming to Australia. The rest arrive in planes. Where鈥檚 all the hype about 鈥減lane people鈥?