Advocacy group GetUp! recently organised a series of candlelight vigils in five of Australia’s capital cities. They asked me to produce the video coverage of the Melbourne one.
A candlelight vigil for asylum seekers in Melbourne, attended by thousands. Similar rallies were held in other capital cities.
The vibe was beautiful as thousands of people packed out Melbourne’s Federation Square to show their support for asylum seekers and refugees, in the wake of revelations that an Iranian man, Reza Berati, was killed during riots inside the detention facility on Manus Island.
The pictures were amazing, and the speakers impassioned, but what struck me was how articulate and thoughtful everyone we spoke to there was. The level of thought and consideration that the vigil-goers had put into their position on asylum seekers was incredible.
As Afghani asylum seeker, Jang, said to me: “This gives me hope that Australia will help people on a bridging visa, like me. If all these people can come out on a Sunday night, then maybe Australia does care.”
Principal photography by the very talented Stu Heppell. You can see some of his photography, along with stills from his video work, here: http://stuheppell.tumblr.com/
