Toowoomba protesters form flash mob at Grand Central

A GROUP of protesters formed a flash mob outside Grand Central, also using the food court balcony to make a stand.

A GROUP of protesters who want to see the end of offshore processing of refugees have formed a small flash mob outside Grand Central.

The short-notice protest on Margaret St yesterday afternoon featured more than a dozen residents, who held a giant banner from the balcony of the shopping centre and showed signs demanding the closure of the Nauru and Manus Island detention centres.

Protest leader Carly Middap said the movement was aimed at getting Toowoomba shoppers to think about refugees and asylum seekers stuck overseas during Christmas.

Manus Island protest outside Grand Central. Protesters hold banners from the balcony. Picture: Tom Gillespie

"We wanted to make sure that we were using the Christmas message to highlight what the refugees on Manus Island are going through," she said.

"All these people are going home from work and they're shopping and buying stuff, but we wanted to remind people of the humanity of Christmas and what other people are going through and how they're suffering, at the hands of our government.

The protest was met with at least one heckle from a passerby, who got into a verbal altercation with Ms Middap.

PROTEST: Carly Middap fronts a group of protesters against the Nauru and Manus Island detention centres, outside Grand Central. Picture: Tom Gillespie

Originally published as Toowoomba protesters form flash mob at Grand Central