The inaugural Sunday vigil at Maribyrnong Detention Centre - called by the group No One Is Illegal - was a rewarding experience for the hundred or more people of all ages who came to show their support for the refugees in detention there. Speakers introduced by Pamela Curr representing RAC-Vic included Bishop Hilton Deakin, the Reverend David Pargeter, Leigh Hubbard, and Mohammed Taba. The management of the centre, ACM, responded to this public display of support for their charges by denying access to the detainees, but those inside obviously knew what was going on, and they made themselves heard in response to the chants of "Free the Refugees" and "No-one is illegal". Towards the end of the rally people were encouraged to write messages of support on postcards and attach them to the wire fence in the hope that at least some would be read by inmates.
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(Click on thumbnails for larger view)
Later in the year the simple wire fence visible in these pictures was reinforced with a massive new outer fence on the same pattern as the outer fence at Woomera, topped with coils of razor wire. This is the fence that can be seen on the Season's Greetings card displayed on this site's home page.
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