Members of the Uniting Church are called on again this year to join marches for Palm Sunday Rallies for Refugees.
On Sunday 14th April – weeks before a Federal Election – thousands are expected to rally around the country for the rights and humane treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum.
The annual march in Sydney, is organised by a number of faith groups, advocacy and service provider organisations and unions and is expected to be one of the biggest yet. Events this year aim to raise awareness of the ongoing plight of people in offshore detention and people seeking asylum in the community who face destitution or deportation and being cut off essential support services.
Speakers at the Sydney Rally will include renowned orthopaedic surgeon and former Iraqi refugee, Dr Munjed Al Muderis, and Fr Clement Taulaum, a parish priest from Papua New Guinea who has worked closely with detained refugees. Also speaking is retired footballer and sports broadcaster, Craig Foster, who was integral in campaigning for the release of Australian refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi recently.
The Uniting Church has a long and proud history of participating in these Palm Sunday events. This is just one public demonstration of the Church’s support of fair, humane and compassionate policies for people who seek safety in Australia.
This year, Uniting Church members will be supported and joined at the march by our Moderator, Rev Simon Hansford, and staff from Uniting.
These events provide an opportunity for congregation members to join other faith communities and wider society to act boldly and confront the injustices being experienced by people seeking asylum in our community and offshore.
On the day, to be able to find our Uniting Church contingent before the march, look for our ‘Uniting for the Common Good’ banner (as seen in the photo), which will be displayed near the stage. We’ve put together THIS GUIDE with information on what to wear, what to bring and where to meet.
Please contact Alex Hogan in the Uniting Advocacy Team for more information: ahogan@uniting.org / 0423 503 998/ 02 9407 3230. A list of all Palm Sunday events taking place across Australia can be found HERE.
Details for Sydney:
When: Sunday 14th April, 2pm -4pm
Where: Belmore Park, Sydney (opposite Central Station)
Info on what to wear, what to bring, where to meet: https://bit.ly/2T6BuwJ
Register: https://bit.ly/2JcBDPx
(Article from Insights magazine 29 March 2019)