Inner Brisbane landmark “runs red with blood,” as activists claim responsibility online
A Brisbane City landmark was this morning dyed red by activists to protest the detainment of refugees within Australia. The confronting scene comes just days after the court ruled to prevented thousands of activists from closing down the Story Bridge.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An inner Brisbane city water fountain was turned red this morning, representing “the blood of the dozen or more refugees who died at the hands of Australia’s detention industry,” as pictures emerged on social media claiming the dramatic scene was the work of activists protesting the lock up of refugees at a Kangaroo Point motel.
Graffiti, which has since been cleaned by owners of the precinct, was sprawled across the base of the dyed fountain at the heart of Brisbane’s Riverside CBD precinct.
The laws you could be breaking at tomorrow’s Kangaroo Point protest
Supreme Court order prevents sit-in protest on Story Bridge
Chief Health Officer is a pin-up leader in a pandemic
Written in pen on the fountain’s exterior, the messages captured sentiments about justice for refugees.
The graffiti included: “free all refugees,” “government sanctioned torture and murder,” and “no more refugee blood spilt.”
The incident was shared online to Facebook group Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance, and was posted anonymously from “Friends in Meanjin.”
“This morning a group of autonomous dissidents went to the heart of Meanjin’s (Brisbane) capital and political district, close to the plush offices of politicians who make decisions about who gets to live freely and safely, and who remains indefinitely imprisoned and tortured in Australia’s detention regime,” the post said.
“The fountain runs red today with the blood of the dozen or more refugees who died at the hands of Australia’s detention industry, and the thousands of others who have been mentally and physically tortured by it.
“We wrote messages to express our rage and our solidarity for the morning coffee goers, joggers and politicians who work in the corridors of power above, to read on their way to work.
“Though our gesture this morning is small, it is a symbol of our commitment to fight to the end for the freedom of refugees and abolition of Fortress Australia. We demand nothing but freedom and full citizenship rights for all asylum seekers and refugees incarcerated by Australia.
“This is not a game. Refugees have lost eight years of their lives imprisoned by this regime and childhoods have been stolen. Enough is enough. We are counting down, there are only days left to chose (sic) humanity over this barbaric standard. Each day is another day of shame to Australia and the countdown is on. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …”
The incident comes following Saturday’s court ruling, which prevented thousands of activists from sitting on the Story Bridge in support of the detained refugees last week.
The protesters had initially planned their Story Bridge closure to take place last Saturday, however late on Friday afternoon declared the sit in would be postponed from August 8, until August 15.
The organisers cited concerns of police action as the reason for postponing the event.
A Brisbane City Council spokesman today said this morning’s incident was unacceptable.
“This politically driven intentional vandalism of this prominent privately-owned Brisbane water feature is unacceptable to council and the wider community,” the spokesman said.
“We have zero tolerance for vandalism and have dedicated graffiti removal teams and CCTV cameras across the city to capture graffiti criminals across the city. Council was made aware of the vandalism this morning. The owners have since cleaned up the damage.”
Police have been made aware of the incident.
Investigations are continuing.