On Wednesday a group of pro-refugee supporters gathered at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for a peaceful sit in-style protest in solidarity with the women and families suffering on Nauru.
Playfully titled the ‘pram jam’, a collective of parents, babies, children, pregnant mothers and friends called for an end to offshore detention.
They also demanded that Abyan, the pregnant Somali refugee who was allegedly raped on the island, be permanently resettled in Australia.
The protest was organised by Families, Friends And Feminists Against Detention (FFFAD) and went for around an hour and a half before the police asked those assembled to move on.
Although some did, many refused to leave voluntarily and some had to be carried out by police.
A rather spectacular video has emerged showing a mother, Jenny Sparrow, being dragged out of the building while breastfeeding her 22-month-old son Manning.
Watch the video here:
Radio shock jock Neil Mitchell who, funnily enough, supports the indefinite detention of children, chastised Ms. Sparrow for her actions.
“This would have been terrifying for the child. She should be ashamed of herself,” he said.
“You don’t take a kid to a protest.”
Manning, was so clearly terrified that he didn’t even bother to stop feeding as his amused mother was apprehended by police.
Ms Sparrow has meanwhile responded to the comments, posing the question: “Why are my son’s feelings so important, while the well-being of children in detention a matter of indifference?”
“Australian and international health professionals agree that children in detention are suffering from irreversible physical, intellectual and emotional damage. And it’s not just the children,” she told Mamamia.
“There is an obvious and independently documented culture of violence against refugees in Nauru, including sexual abuse of women. When a government starts overseeing human rights abuses and ignoring international law, it’s time for citizens – including mums and bubs – to undertake civil disobedience. If that means breastfeeding while being carried out of a public service building by police, so be it!”
Top Comments
The smarmy simper on her face speaks volumes. She got exactly what she wanted. Well-played. Put it away dear, your 2 year old will certainly survive starvation without you whipping one out while being asked to please leave a protest. Kudos to the police who very reasonably and without undue nastiness forced her to comply.
Amen!
Well said!
Well, I feel quite strongly about this, and I am sorry if I offend anyone, but I really find this disturbing on so many levels. As for businesses and other people being affected, unfortunately, idealistic people like them don't think about anyone else, they don't think about businesses nearby that are affected because of their stunts. This mother (putting aside the breastfeeding of an almost 2 year old which I find disturbing, but, anyway I don't want to get into it) thought of her own selfish needs. So her poor son wasn't affected...that time. What about the next time? Is it a competition when she says why are her son's feelings more important than those kids in detention? First of all, why must it be one or the other? Why not respect both? Secondly, it is a cold, callous mother with no maternal instinct that she would not as the mother, put *her* son's needs first? This woman imo seems to have no maternal instinct towards that poor boy, because at the end of the day, with a mother, *HER* children will *always*, always, come first.
There is no need at all for these mothers to involve innocent children. So, you exploit children, to say that exploiting children in detention for politics, is wrong? I will never, ever ever forget a scene that sticks in my head, and I doubt I will ever erase it, it was from 1998 Patrick Stevedores maritime waterfront dispute. A group of the wharfies, their wives, and some children were all clinching arms in a line sit-in picket, and they were being dragged away. There was an (estimated) 8 year old girl on the line clinging to her dad in the crush screaming and crying as their line was being dragged away. That scene will never leave me. All I felt was disgust and horror and contempt that her parents would USE that girl and subject her to that. At 8 years old, her biggest worry should have been how to convince her parents to have her best friend sleep over on a school night. Not have that nightmares and trauma. Now, I'm not saying they're not worth it, because it is a dangerous job - but some of those wharfies were paid, in 1998, upwards of 70 thousand per year, so they could afford a babysitter or creche or daycare. They wanted to show the world that it was 'families affected' without any regard to the therapy that poor girl would need.
So I think parents like this woman are really selfish and only after attention for themselves and to get on tv. Kind of like a 'by proxy' situation, where they use their children to get the attention they want. They couldn't care less about the issue, it is all for attention for themselves. Children do not belong on the frontline, not matter what the circumstances.