National Day of Shame
9 September 2004

Peter Qasim arrived in Australia on 9 September 1998 and sought asylum. Instead he was thrown into detention with no prospect of being released into the community.

This day he enters his seventh year in detention, for the "crime" of fleeing persecution in his own country.

Simultaneous protests were held in all capital cities plus several rural towns and cities.

In Melbourne we protested outside the County Court under the Justice statue - the one with the blind woman holding the scales of justice.

Bilal Cleland, secretary of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, addresses the passers by.

(?) President of Civil Liberties, Victoria also addressed the gathering crowd.

We were not allowed to tie pictures of Peter to the building, or even lean them against the wall, so we pinned them to our bodies, which was good because we could then walk around and face the pictures to the people.