Restaurateurs seek protest compo amid ‘bizarre’ council response

The owners of a Brisbane restaurant are seeking compensation for loss of trade due to asylum seeker protests but have been left “confused” by organiser and Greens councillor Jonathan Sri’s “bizarre” response.

The owners of a popular seafood restaurant are seeking compensation for $25,000 of lost trade due to asylum seeker protests – as rally organiser and Greens councillor Jonathan Sri bizarrely urges them to “go after council” to recoup the money.

Daniel and Amelia Miletic, who opened One Fish Two Fish in Kangaroo Point last year, say their weekend trade, already hit by COVID-19 restrictions, has been decimated by the protests but Cr Sri is “passing the buck” – to the taxpayers who elected him.

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Ahead of another mass rally set to block the Story Bridge on Saturday over the detention of asylum seekers in a nearby hotel, the couple is demanding “a fair go”.

Restaurateurs Amelia and Daniel Miletic at their seafood restaurant One Fish Two Fish at Kangaroo Point are unhappy about the loss of trade due to the protestors across the road. Photo: Adam Head

“We agree with the plight of asylum seekers but not with what activists are doing because nothing is getting resolved and it’s only causing grief to businesses and residents,” Mrs Miletic said.

“They’re deliberately trying to cause maximum impact but from where we sit, it’s not OK.”

Greens Councillor Jonathan Sri addresses protesters on June 28 who gathered to support asylum seekers detained at the Kangaroo Point Central Hotel in Brisbane. Photo: AAP Image/Glenn Hunt)

Mrs Miletic emailed Cr Sri on July 2 to request better communication around the timing of protests so they could plan ahead with restaurant hours and reservations.

She followed up on July 20, a day after a protest for which Cr Sri was “notifying organiser” destroyed their Sunday trade, asking for advice on who to approach for compensation.

The Gabba Ward councillor replied on July 24, saying while it must be frustrating to have bookings “messed with”, “people who work during the week prefer to protest on weekends”.

“In terms of compensation, one option might be to go after council and the police for not notifying you of the rally times,” Cr Sri said in an email, seen by The Courier-Mail.

“You could also go after council for allowing a prison to be established in an inner-city location that’s not zoned for prisons or detention centres.”

Police outside the Kangaroo Point hotel where asylum seekers are being detained, on August 5, 2020. Photo: Adam Head

Mrs Miletic, who also runs a marketing and events company, said it was an organiser’s responsibility to notify locals of events, and described Cr Sri’s response as “bizarre” and “confusing”.

“Take it up with the council? I don’t understand, aren’t you council, isn’t that what you’re voted in for?

“We have lost up to $25,000 since protesters moved into the area in April, and that’s on top of COVID; we are a small business employing 12 people and just want a fair go.”

Barramundi fillet and king prawns at One Fish Two Fish in Kangaroo Point. Photo: supplied

Mrs Miletic has written to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and is awaiting a response.

Organisers of this Saturday’s protest, Refugee Solidarity Meanjin and Refugee Action Collective, have promised “mass civil disobedience” and will confirm via social media on Friday afternoon if it will go ahead.