| Kia ora peace friends,
There are nearly 700 refugees being kept in inhumane conditions on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island. Many have been imprisoned there for years, after the Australian government illegally detained them there after they legally attempted to claim asylum in Australia. The situation has become even more extreme in the last week, as the PNG police and military beat them with metal bars, destroyed their water supplies, and destroyed many of their meagre belongings.
Jacinda Ardern’s government has re-stated John Key’s offer of resettling 150 of the refugees in New Zealand. So far she has refused to speak to the PNG government to arrange their resettlement. We say this isn’t enough and we are urging Ardern to speak directly to the Papua New Guinea government to bring all the Manus Island refugees to Aotearoa.
We would like you to join us downtown this Thursday at 5:15pm to help spread awareness of the situation and show solidarity to the refugees. We’ll fill the street with the words of our imprisoned friends on Manus. They have a lot to say, so let’s share it! Join us to make a scene that Auckland can’t ignore. Meet at the intersection of Queen St and Customs St this Thursday at 5:15; and we will then move to a few other CBD locations.
Te Karanga a Hape Hīkoi
Our good friends at SOUL (Save our unique landscape) are campaigning to stop a development on the sacred Ihumātao land. They will be leading a celebratory hīkoi this Sunday on Karangahape Road, to connect the two sites and to highlight the conservation kaupapa for a wider Tāmaki Makaurau audience.
Ihumātao is the place where the tupuna Hape alighted when he arrived in Aotearoa at the end of his voyage from the ancient homeland of Hawaiki. Hape is a central character in many oral histories for the Tāmaki Makaurau region, and Karangahape Road memorialises his historical call.
You are invited to join in. Please assemble at Studio One, 1 Ponsonby Road at 10am this Sunday.
Holiday Cards for Prisoners – Prisoner Correspondence Network Craft Bee
Make some holiday cards for incarcerated people and brighten up their Christmas day! This crafting bee will be at Rainbow Youth, 11 Edinburgh Street this Saturday from 10am – 4pm.
‘Ofa atu,
Auckland Peace Action. |
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