Updated #lovemakesaway statement: Police forcibly remove Priest, Pastors after s


Police forcibly remove seven Christians including a Catholic priest and two Reverends from Malcolm Turnbull’s Sydney office after a day long prayer sit-in. The group is part of the ‘Love Makes a Way’ movement calling for all children to be released from immigration detention, and for the detention centre on Nauru to be shut down.

The participants in today's 8 hour prayer vigil committed to remaining in prayer in Turnbull’s office, appealing to the Minister to make a public commitment to support a moratorium on the transfers of children to Nauru. They were forcibly removed by police around 7pm.

The group who identify with a variety of Christian traditions have extended an invitation to Mr Turnbull’s staff to join the group in prayer and reflection.

“As Christians we stand in a tradition that teaches care for the vulnerable and love for the stranger. We are here today to appeal to Mr Turnbull as a fellow Christian, and as a leader in our nation’s government, to protect children from the abuse they suffer in immigration detention,” said Fr. Claude Mostowik, a Catholic priest involved in the sit-in.

"As long time advocates for the rights of asylum seekers we understand that we risk arrest by praying here today. All formal channels of advocacy have failed to free the children from immigration detention and so we come here today with this act of peaceful civil disobedience, it being the strongest expression of love and resistance we have available to us,” said Fr Mostowik.

The prayer vigil sit-in coincides with the commencement of a Senate Inquiry into immigration detention on Nauru following the release in March of the ‘Moss Review’. The review found evidence of sexual abuse of asylum seekers detained on Nauru.

“The federal government says it accepts the recommendations of the Moss Review which told of shocking allegations of sexual abuse at the immigration detention centre on Nauru. We are calling on the Australian government to take immediate action to remove all children from this unsafe environment,” said Reverend Mary Hurst, pastoral worker with the Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand and participant in today's sit-in.

“We know that children are being abused in our immigration detention centres and we know that if any other child in Australia were living in an abusive home we’d act without hesitation to protect that child,” said Reverend Hurst.

“Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the sexual abuse of children is not something we would accept in Australia, but that is precisely what we are accepting as long as we keep children locked up in detention where we know sexual abuse has happened,” she said.

“Last year Mr Turnbull acknowledged that the Coalition’s asylum seeker policy is ‘cruel’ and ‘harsh’. He also said that ‘one child in detention is one child too many’. We encourage him in this spirit to take a stand for the freedom of children in detention,” said Matt Anslow, spokesperson for Love Makes a Way.

“We will not rest until all children are free to have a safe childhood and until love makes a way for all people seeking asylum in Australia,” said Mr Anslow.

Photos from today, including police forcibly removing Christians from Malcolm Turnbull’s office:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lovemakesaway/sets/72157652654035709

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