We Asked Protesters About Anger at Melbourne’s ‘Let Them Stay’ Rally

More than 5,000 people marched through the streets of Melbourne last night in solidarity with asylum seekers. This came off the back of a High Court decision on Wednesday that ruled Australia's much-derided policy of offshore detention is constitutionally legal. Read Lee Zachariah's scathing explainer on that here.

This decision will potentially affect 267 refugees around Australia, who may be forced into detention on Nauru. In response, thousands gathered last night in Canberra, Adelaide, Newcastle, Melbourne, and Sydney, chanting "let them stay." More protests are planned today in Darwin and Brisbane.

The crowd was diverse in Melbourne. Businessmen stood side by side with students, grandmothers, and children, all converging on the steps of the state library. There was a palpable sense of anger, which is why we asked people to explain their feelings.

Bruno, 62

VICE: Hi Bruno, why are you angry?
Bruno: Because the horrors that these people go through are unimaginable. One night in detention would get to me, but to think there are kids that have been in that situation for years is unimaginable. It's deplorable. It's evil. I need to believe that there's hope here. I need to show some kind of faith that we as Australians, we don't put up with this. This is not the way we want to live.

Will all this protesting make a difference?
It's got to. We've got to find our heart again you know? We have to speak the language of the heart and compassion.

Georgia, 21

Hey Georgia, why are you angry?
It was Bill Shorten's remarks when he was asked how do you feel about the fact that the churches want to open their arms to refugees? And he said he's not the pope—basically just dismissing the fact that a whole bunch of Australians reject the notion of "defending" our borders.

What got you off the couch today and made you come here?
I'm a socialist and one of the reasons I became a socialist was because I thought that the way refugees were treated in Australia was totally fucked. I want to do something that involves coming together with other people who reject racism.

Zuke, 59

Hi Zuke, what part of this are you most angry about?
As a human being I'm absolutely outraged that Australia is doing these things. We're actually wasting a huge pool of human potential.

What do you want to see?
I want to see Australia stand up and realise that we're in a very dangerous stage. The abuse of refugees and asylum seekers is only the thin end of the wedge. If the government can get away with treating them incredibly badly and torturing them, and it's legal, then they can do that to anyone.

Will this protest have any sort of effect on changing things though?
Most of us here have been activists for years. And we know that one thing isn't going to change everything. It's a long series of steps and we just have to keep putting pressure on the government.

Darren, 25

What part of this has brought you out here?
I'm outraged by the way refugees are treated, but also by the wars my government is creating, leading to refugees coming here in the first place. So I'm here for refugee rights but I'm also here to protest war, and the government's agenda as a whole.

What's going to be the end result here?
It's conditional. Without resistance this will all end very badly. The government has this agenda and they are not going to shift from it unless we force them to through resistance and protests.

Leigh, 35

Why are you so angry?
This is morally reprehensible. I can't live in this city, in this country, and have these types of people represent me. The government is not a ruling class, it was never meant to be. They're meant to be administrators. So we come out here to reclaim our backbone.

What do you think the result will be after today's protests?
It's a large group of people here, but to be honest I think it'll take a lot more protesting for change to happen.

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