A VERY RARE 20th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING OF A HISTORICAL EVENT

This doco has only been screened on two occasions during the 10 year anniversary in 2013 and is not availbe online.

Thursday 20th April 6:30pm-8pm

Speakers: to be announced

Hosted by the New International Bookshop, BOX4 and the SEARCH Foundation.

The doco captures the events leading up to and including the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st of April 2003, where activists from around Australia converged on the Baxter Detention Centre in the South Australian desert to protest the imprisonment of refugees in harsh and isolated circumstances.

The 2003 action was in the aftermath of the 2002 Woomera refugee detention centre breakout, with activists trying to replicate the action that successfuly undermined the state's treatment of refugees, and was followed by further action in 2005.

Over 500 people camped out and faced police oppression in order to highlight the injustice of imprisoning refugees in such a harsh and isolated conditions in the South Australian desert.

Over three days various activist actions took place which accumulated in an attempt to get close to the refugees which resulted in a number of arrests.

The protest action was successful in gaining national media attention to the plight of the imprisoned refugees in the Howard/Ruddock era.

*Event promo image photographed by John Immig and sourced from State Library SA Archive