Amnesty supporters shocked by WA refugee exhibition ban
Supporters of Amnesty International in Western Australia are shocked and disappointed by the decision of a local council to ban an exhibition of refugee photos from a public library.
Supporters of Amnesty International in Western Australia are shocked and disappointed by the decision of a local council to ban an exhibition of refugee photos from a public library. The Bridgetown-Greenbushes shire has told a WA newspaper that Amnesty International’s Faces of Asylum exhibition was rejected on the grounds that it was too political and risked causing offence to library patrons.
“The Faces of Asylum exhibition has been shown all around the country and far from being political in nature, it shows the human faces of those who come to seek asylum and invites the public to make up their own minds,” said Amnesty International refugee campaigner Alex Pagliaro.
“This ban means that Bridgetown residents are unfortunately being denied this opportunity.”
Amnesty groups in WA say the invitation to the library to host the exhibition remains open.
“Local Amnesty members would be delighted if the council changed its mind. Australians are generally compassionate people and find nothing ‘offensive’ about hearing a refugee’s real-life story of fleeing persecution,” said Ms. Pagliaro.
“This exhibition is clearly in the public interest – so why is it being denied space in a public library?”
Comments
Marilyn Shepherd | Posted on 23 January 2012, 02:00AM | Report comment
We don’t need refugee centres or prisons though, they can live like the rest of the visitors to this country live.
frederika steen | Posted on 23 January 2012, 12:23AM | Report comment
I am heartened that 16 local Amnesty members are taking up the cause with skill and dignity. A peoples’ response is powerful food for thought, and politicians can be influenced. Good luck and great success!
Bridgetown-Balingup Amnesty International Group | Posted on 22 January 2012, 01:04PM | Report comment
The sixteen members of the Bridgetown-Balingup Amnesty group, of whom 12 are Bridgetown residents, wish to express their disappointment at the decision by the senior management of the Bridgetown-Greenbushes shire to reject ‘The Faces of Asylum’ display at any of its shire facilities.
The display is dissemination that people can choose to view and learn a little more about other people. Humanising the plight of others and removing ourselves from the ‘faceless mob’ is a positive and not a negative.
It is with great disappointment we are confronted with negative and divisive language from our senior shire management that includes ‘political’, ‘contentious’, ‘divisive’, ‘complaints from library patrons’, ‘confrontational’. Indeed, the only people who are being ‘political’, ‘contentious’, ‘divisive’ and ‘confrontational’ are the senior shire management.
Though we have been disappointed thus far with our councillors’ slow response to intervene in the community interest we hope that they will discuss the issue of censorship at their council meeting and rescind the ‘policy’ of ‘censorship’ by the senior shire management.
The public has the ‘right to know’ and no one person, group of persons, organisation or government has the right to take it away.
From the Bridgetown-Balingup Amnesty International Group Meeting of January 21
Gerry Georgatos | Posted on 22 January 2012, 10:33AM | Report comment
The senior shire management, not the library, knocked back the display. At the time their reasons for this was ‘not in the community interest’, ‘political’, ‘contentious’, ‘that some library patrons had complained about similar displays in the past’, ‘that the library reflects on the shire’, etc…
I have raised the issue of ‘censorship’ for discussion by the council at their next meeting - January 25.
Thanks to an offer by a local exhibition centre, The Bridgetown Pottery and Tea Rooms, we will be hosting the display from January 30, with a meet and greet community on February 7, 6pm, and the display will be on for a month.
Sadly, for Bridgetown, culturally rich, it became the first place in Australia to reject the display however this is a reflection on the understandings of senior management, and which I believe can be remedied.
Co-convenor, Bridgetown-Balingup Amnesty group,
Gerry Georgatos
Frederika Steen | Posted on 17 January 2012, 12:25AM | Report comment
That a library would pass up the opportunity to support this exhibition is sad.Much much more serious is the absence of an effective community education campaign by the federal government about the human right of desperate human beings to seek protection from persecution, to cross any border to seek asylum. With 24 places of detention around Australia,some in remote places it is crucial that the electorate be confronted with the facts of about 5 000 people in immigration detention today.
This breach of human rights must end.
shailesh | Posted on 16 January 2012, 07:39PM | Report comment
I agree with Stephen and with all the respect, this was the issue I was trying to address in my post.
The problem is not the refugees but it is our suspicion. To some extent this type of suspicion is very natural as we are all human beings.
But to be suspecious of some one who already is afraid of his or her past situation does not make great sense to me.
We need to make people around us more aware of the fact that a refugee is also a human being like us and does not carry any intension to harm a person or our community at large.
The exhibition at library would have been a great start. It is shame it was banned.
Stephen | Posted on 16 January 2012, 12:53PM | Report comment
Correction to my post.
Not “Alex Pagliaro would really be ‘shocked that she is not aware…’”
It was Shailesh who is “shocked that Alex Pagliaro ‘is not aware ... that majority of the Australians carry negative opinion about the refugees.’”
My apologies. The general sentiment of what I wrote still stands.
Stephen | Posted on 16 January 2012, 12:48PM | Report comment
I agree with aspects of all comments by Andrew, Shailesh and Michael, although I’m not sure that Alex Pagliaro would really be ‘shocked that she is not aware of the fact that majority of the Australians carry negative opinion about the refugees.’
The reluctance of Australian communities, generally, to allow asylum seeker/refugee centres to be established in or near their town speaks of both a reluctance to come face to face with a pressing real-world problem, and of a latent (sometimes not so latent) suspicion of people who appear ‘different’.
I suspect that the council’s decision to not host the photo exhibition reflects these same fears. After all, what if, after seeing this exhibition, the public of Bridgetown-Greenbushes shire expressed a wish to invite refugees to their area, and set up a centre for them there? The shire council would suddenly have a major new issue to manage.
Mind you, this hasn’t happened elsewhere, yet…
Andrew J S | Posted on 16 January 2012, 10:56AM | Report comment
I personally think the photos are great, however I think its a bit rich saying the library is banning their exhibition. The library is exercising its right to have on display what they feel is appropriate for their community/patrons. They are not banning their exhibition elsewhere just declining an invitation to exhibit on their premises. Does anyone here really believe its their right to force a library to accept an invitation? Maybe the library was concerned that the exhibition would encourage debate in what is meant to be quiet space, whatever the reason they should be free to decide and not be bullied.
shailesh | Posted on 15 January 2012, 03:39PM | Report comment
I fully agree with the comments made by Ms Pagliaro regarding the compassionate nature of Australians but I am shocked that she is not aware of the fact that majority of the Australians carry negative opinion about the refugees. They have made them a topic to joke about. Big ho ha has been made about their ability to be a part of Australian society and work force.
As a memeber of Amnesty I am with the supporters who have expressed disappointment about exhibition ban and I am equally disappointed.
But let us not give a diplomatic statement on this. Fact is a fact and the fact is that Australians have difficulties seeing refugees around them. Give me an example where a person from non australian background has not been stared at.
Not addressing the core issue will only create further problems. rHuman rights of the fugees at the detension place and the people released from the detension are equally important and not to be neglected.
Michael Wild | Posted on 13 January 2012, 01:01PM | Report comment
Hmmm. I’m a West Australian whose group “neighbours” Bridgetown and while disappointed I can’t honestly say I’m shocked.” Perhaps it would be worthwhile pointing out to the coucil that they got this bad publicity though.