Participant Matt Anslow told SBS that the protest was not intended to target Mr Morrision in a negative way. “We were praying also for Mr Morrison, not in a way that was condemning or judgemental,” he said.
Among those arrested was Jaxon Jennings, an active member of Hillsong Church in Waterloo. “I was arrested for trespass after praying … for the 1,138 children currently being detained indefinitely in offshore asylum seeker detention centres,” Mr Jennings said. “We chose to engage in the act of civil disobedience in response to a direct breach of human rights as recognised by the UNHCR.”
Mr Jennings explained that the group represents the gospel of Jesus Christ who welcomes the stranger and includes the last and the least. “We endorse the Minister’s maiden speech where he quoted Desmond Tutu as saying, ‘We expect Christians … to stand up for the truth, to stand up for justice, to stand on the side of the poor and the hungry, the homeless and the naked, and when that happens, then Christians will be trustworthy and believable witnesses’. With this in mind, we sought to create a space where we could work with Mr Morrison to find an appropriate solution to restoring humanity to those we have stripped it from with the labels of ‘illegals’ and ‘boat people’. We believe that no innocent child should face the trauma of detention for seeking asylum in a country that prides itself on good ethics and moral will.”
After requesting permission to pray for the Minister and the staff, Mr Jennings said, group members were invited by the receptionist to stay. After approximately ten minutes, the office manager then asked them to leave the premises. Ultimately, the police were called to remove them.
“When the opportunity arose to be apart of a nonviolent demonstration that sought to humanise not only the asylum seeker but also the Minister as a brother in our faith, it almost seemed a given for me to be a part of [this demonstration]. We are also aware that Mr Morrison receives death threats and abuse for his actions … we gave prayers of protection for himself and his staff. The consequences of such an action were clear and arrest was a consequence I was willing to accept for such a cause.”
The protesters hope that Mr Morrison might “listen to his conscience regarding the 1,138 children in detention centres and act accordingly” despite the pressures of majority opinion. “We would be happy to meet with the Minister at any time for discussions about these issues,” Mr Jennings said.
Those charged with trespass will appear in Sutherland Local Court on April 10.
