I was at the morning action outside the detention centre this morning. We left at about 8 or 8:30am. When we got back we were told that police had come down to the camp with machine guns. Apparently someone in the camp had pointed a leg of a tripod at the helicopter continuously circling over here, and that was reason enough to come in with machine guns.

It feels like I am in an expensive Hollywood movie about the Vietnam war. I keep expecting a bomb to fall on us. The helicopter circles all night and shines lights down on the camp. Others say, and I agree, that it is surreal and bizarre.

We marched down to the detention centre this morning with banners, balloons filled with helium not urine, they had freedom messages written on them, some people had kites, flags and we all had our water to drink and hats or dust-masks.

We went straight for the main gates and people passed around a yellow blue-tac stick to stick our yellow paper stars onto the rotting white wooden fence surrounding the front part of the detention centre.These yellow stars represent the concentration camps of the Nazis. I thought they might jump over and arrest us for this. It wouldn't be out of character. They have arrested people for swearing, loitering or persistent loitering, a kite has been confiscated but I don't know if the person was arrested, and a street performer had her yellow paper umbrella confiscated, which she was going to use to do her piece.

The cops don't really know what they are doing. They are not consistent in who they target. I got through the barricade with my backpack intact (inside of which I might have had a sub-machine gun). Another girl who was at the end had her bag taken. It seemed like the cops made a show of 'enforcing the law'.

At the gate we chanted 'freedom, azadi'. People jumped up on the concrete block and stamped their feet on the metal. We had whistles, the mouthpiece of a saxophone, horns, loudspeakers, bottles filled with rocks or rice, shakers, rocks and metal to make noises, and our voices.

The cops had helmets, they looked padded not including their plastic outer gear. They also looked hotter than us and I don't mean they were good-looking. Some had camel coloured uniforms, some had blue. Two of the cops took off all their gear and jumped the pipe and came over to our side, wearing just their blue t-shirts and blue pants. As soon as they did this they started to grow dreads and if you threw soap at them it wouldn't stick. It was all fun and games this Sunday morning.

I counted 14 police horses, which was 5 more than yesterday when they came charging down the hill like the cavalry in some 50s Hollywood Western. I'm not the only person to say this, it feels like we're on a film set. The money and power the state has to enforce the imprisonment of three-year-old children who have committed no crime except being born in the wrong place is astounding, and, when all is said and done, none of us pose the slightest threat to these masked robo-cop imitators.

When the cavalry was all in a straight line waiting to charge again, if they had to, one of the protesters that had climbed over the pipeline, one of the pink net tutu wearing guys got on his plastic yellow horse in line with them and started rocking on it like he was on those fake bulls in a bad American movie.

It is all one big bad American movie

It's been scripted and we're here confronted wiht this plan to stop terrorism and violence. We're facing helicopters, riot gear, machine guns and charging horses in the middle of a desert. We're just people who dare to think. It's fantastic to imagine that the repressive state we live under can be so frightened of an alto saxophone mouthpiece and a kite.

The cops yelled out to someone that they were on double time and a half. That's always worth standing in the desert all day for, on your long weekend while your family spend it alone watching you on TV, waiting for you to be splattered with one of these phantom urine filled balloons. Apparently we had fish hooks, also. The uniforms were meant to dehumanise them the same way they dehumanise us, because we wear gear they wouldn't wear, either.

On the way back from this march the road was littered with rocks. The pipe had freedom messages. The cops escorted us as far as their radio receivers would allow them, pretending to target one of us and being decoys so that we would move on. We had reached a fun deadlock just past the end of the gate after the balloons had been released, the speeches been made and we had promised to return and to keep working for freedom for these people.

At the stand-off over the pipeline, past the fence, the protesters were calling out messages in human voices to the cops in their riot gear. The cops didn't say anything, probably thinking of how many new things they could buy with their Easter bonus pay.

Whenever the cops would charge the protesters we would all run back, and those of us near the pipeline would clear the way for the rest to come through.

We had already seen them call out 11 o'clock, and then about 12 of them from either side jumped the pipeline and focussed on one guy. We surrounded the cops but they took him off into the van. According to a friend who had the same thing happen to him yesterday, they processed him very quickly. We think this might have been the kite guy.

There's lots more to tell including the first major confrontation when the cops let us past the barricades with our camping gear, waited for us to set up then charged us.

We go away feeling pleased with ourselves and what we have achieved. We are pleased that those poor cops can now afford that extra DVD. We know that when they buy the latest release by some famous Hollywood actor, they won't have to think that as an artist that actor probably opposes what they are doing, unless they are watching Charlton Heston re-runs.

Melbourne Indymedia
by Sparticus
6:00pm Sun Apr 20 '03

After a night camped under the stars, and a couple of pesky, persistent choppers, people awoke to yet another beautiful day. Several meetings were convened from 8:00am to organise various aspects of the day’s activities. Some people, however, were content to have breakfast. People set off down the path towards Baxter, again full of vibrant colour, wacky costumes and makeup, cheerful spirit and sound, flags, kites and signs.

Barely a few hundred meters from camp, police had set up a new obstacle. Police started searching people’s bags and confiscating signs, kites and other items. One protester who stood out from the crowd - literally, he was on stilts - nearly had his stilts confiscated. He refused to entrust his treasured stumps into the ‘care’ of the policemen grabbing at them, and was told instead to take them away. They’re being real arseholes, they’re just confiscating and ripping things apart! They tried to confiscate my stilts, but I said: "No way! You're not having these!" He was heading back to camp to off load, determined to make his way down to the detention centre.

Down at the detention centre, events started heating up, just as the sun’s power started to turn punishingly hot. People cheered, clapped and danced back and forth as sections of fencing were progressively pulled down; not the taller, 20 foot high electrified one; the waist-high fence that separated the people from the line of police. As people started pulling down the fences, the police would charge and the people would retreat to the opposite side of a pipeline that ran above ground between the centre and the sealed road. Once the police had given up the chase, had returned to their standard formation, people moved back to the fence line for more.

On several occasions, the police swooped in on individuals and dragged them into the depths of the police vans. One unsuspecting participant, sitting on the pipeline running parallel to the centre, with his back to the police line and slightly away from the main group, was plucked from behind by a brave group of five officers. Some reports came in of the charges laid from yesterday’s arrests: loitering, and possession of a kite. Perhaps, before the weekend actions are through, we may hear of a hybrid charge of loitering with intent to fly a kite?

Several times, the constant noise, music and cheering broke into near complete silence; we tried again to hear any audible sign from the refugees trapped inside. Still no sign; the festival for freedom cranked up once again. After another great show of people’s determination to express dissent for the most absurd policies of a short-sighted government against a free humanity, most people upped stumps and returned to camp to rehydrate and find some shade from the baking hot sun, determined to return for the refugees later in the day.

Melbourne Indymedia
by Sparticus
5:59pm Sun Apr 20 '03

Saturday afternoon, the police faced scandal as an undercover constable’s cover was blown! A member of the local community caught sight of the constable observing activities from within the main camp.

Once singled out, a pink fairy, a nurse-come-clown-looking creature and numerous other costumed and uncostumed members of the camp launched a barrage of queries, such as: "Hello, constable, do you like my outfit? Are you on duty? Would you have to arrest me if I were doing something illegal?"

In an interview after the event, the pink fairy reported she was informed by the constable that, no, her outfit was ugly. Shame, shame, shame, though the pink fairy didn’t seem to mind.

The constable was dressed in blue jeans and wore a Land Care backpack while sipping down some Coke - oops. He was advised that the bottle of Coke was offensive and that he’d have to remove it from the camp site, not that he really needed any prodding to leave. He was already making a very definite attempt for the exit.

Cries of "Spy!" and various other comments were hurled at the departing policeman, who by this stage was surrounded by several handycams and scores of onlookers bearing witness to the scandal.

Melbourne Indymedia
by Lydia
4:48pm Sun Apr 20 '03

Hello, it's me, Lydia, your humble narrator, again. At the moment reporting from Baxter Freedom Camp.

We are camped about three kilometers from Baxter detention centre, and at the moment there is a group of people down at the fence of the centre, but with quite a large police presence in front of them.

We got through the three-foot high barbed wire fence and were stopped by a 20 foot high perimeter fence electrified with all of 9,000 volts.

We have an Indymedia tent set up, with working computers and all! Unfortunatly no net connection, but we get around that by saving our stories to a disk, then uploading them to the net when we get to it, probably in Port Augusta.

Life here is quite a culture shock, for me at least. I have never been in a situation where so many people are living in such close proximity, at such short notice, and living together so well.

Everyone here is so friendly and nice. There are no bad vibes that I have picked up on, and everything is quite nice.

I am feeling a little deppressed at the moment, after finding out that one of the Perth mob is apparently an undercover cop. I just don't think that undercover coppers are right. If someone is a copper, they should at least be proud of what they are doing. But undercovers are just so dodgy and 'not cricket'.

Today I assisted two persons who were injured, for I am playing the role of medic. One gentleman had a torn scrotum and was patched up temporarily by the medics at the front line. Then he decided to walk back to the camp. On the radio came a message that he was heading back, then about five minutes later came another message that no-one had located him, so a couple of other medics and I set out to find him. Eventually I located him and radioed back to the camp that I had found him, alive, but not so well, and that we were heading back to the camp, and if we could have a vehicle ready to take him to the Port Augusta hospital. When we got there he was picked up and taken away, and to my knowledge he arrived at the hospital.

The second person I assisted was a young lady who sprained her ankle. We were heading out to the detention centre again, and she sprained her ankle about five hundred meters from the camp. She also was assisted by the front line medics, who were in the throng going to the centre, then, after her ankle was strapped, I helped her get back to the camp.

Upon arriving at the camp I took her to the First Aid tent and she lay down for a bit, then she decided to go back to her camping area, so we began a slow walk to her campsite. About 10 meters away from the tent I asked a vehicle driver whether he could give us a lift to her camp site, but he was in no condition to drive, but a bit later he agreed to help carry her to her campsite. we carried her for about 50 meters, until she decided to try to walk again, and she found that her ankle wasn't so painful, and that she could walk on it. We walked her to her campsite, and just sat around with her for a little bit, until I was called up on the radio and had to attend elsewhere.

Those moments of assisting people, though they may only be incidental moments, and not even cause a hitch in the grand scheme of things, do really give me a buzz and show me that, despite all that has happened, people are still good at heart.

Helping people really makes a girl feel wanted.

I love you all, all my people, whether you are black, white, gay, straight, bi, or any variation of the basic human framework, you are all a part of me, and I am a part of you all, we are one, but we are many too.

One day I hope we can all live in peace, and we shall grow strongest the bonds of humankind.

I love you all.
Lydia.

by News from WoomeraBaxter
22 April 2003

Asylum-seekers inside Baxter Detention Centre are outraged and upset at media reports that they did not want refugee supporters to come to the detention centre over the Easter long weekend. They were also surprised at reports that life inside the centre continued "as normal" over the weekend and that they were oblivious to and uninterested in the Baxter Convergence.

Contrary to claims by DIMIA, ACM and the police that supporters came to the area to help asylum-seekers escape, refugee activists came with a very clear agenda of showing support to the people inside the centre by a variety of peaceful means such as flying kites, releasing balloons and having their cries for "Azadi" (freedom) heard by their friends inside.

Asylum-seekers confirmed that they were able to hear the chants of the protestors during each one of the gatherings outside the centre and were very moved by them. Because they were kept in "lock-down" conditions all weekend, they were not able to make direct contact with their supporters. Phone contact into and out of the centre were cut and large numbers of guards were stationed in each compound.

When they attempted to echo back the supporters' chants of "AZADI" on Saturday afternoon, large numbers of guards from ACM (Australasian Correctional Management) forced them back into their individual rooms and guards were stationed at the door of each room. They were further isolated from supporters and from each other.
 
When one group of asylum-seekers staged a protest of their own in one of the compounds against their continued incarceration, force was used to return them to their rooms, and three asylum-seekers were subsequently put into the "Management Unit" (solitary confinement).

Even though no escape attempt was carried out by the detainees or by their supporters, the detainees were subjected to continuous room searches and harrassment by guards.The room searches continue up until this moment.Such is the perceived danger of friendship and solidarity.

The asylum-seekers wish to express their gratitude to supporters, many of whom they said travelled very long distances to be at the convergence. They were very distressed to hear that supporters were endangered by mounted police charges and many lost vital items such as tents and sleeping bags at the beginning of the weekend.They were aware that some very young children were among the group.

Asylum seekers said: "Thank you for your attention and compassion and sympathy. We kiss you from inside the centre and we hope one day we can repay your help. Thanks a lot for your coming and your help. We never forget you. We love you, good luck, Happy Easter.

from Baxter detainees."
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO WAS AT BAXTER 03 IN BODY OR IN SPIRIT!

Day 1: At the park and onto the road block

By invitation of the local indigenous people, people from all around the country converged on Gladstone Square, Port Augusta, South Australia. Through a decentralised gathering of affinity groups people converged in solidarity and in support of refugees. An educated mass of people ranging from children right through to the elderly made their way to the town of Port Augusta and ultimately the Baxter Immigration Detention Centre. For many they had to travel a 1000 or more kilometres and at their own expense. Some travelled over 2000 kilometres in order to attend. Paralegals, university staff, doctors, nurses, students, mum, dads, children, people of all races and walks of live united for the rights of refugees.

Gladstone Square became the orientation point were groups nationwide conversed about their next best strategy for converging onto the detention centre. After much discussion and informal meeting people decided to head off to the road block. Cars and buses headed off toward the detention centre and arrived as a large group which would grow over the days to somewhere around 1000 people. Traversing the Martian landscape protesters armed with plenty of water and determination headed off towards the road block.

Being confronted by police manning the road block out in the middle of the desert protestors approached them calmly to discuss their options. We were told that we could walk past the road block out of respect for our democratic right to freedom of assembly and the right to protest. The commander presenting himself as in charge of the entire operation said, "We'll respect you're right to free assembly but we will not allow camping gear or anything deemed a weapon pass this point."

It appears that the freedom posse were satisfied momentarily with our camp being setup at this point, approximately 2.5 kilometres from the detention centre. It was also evident that we would not be trespassing if we stayed within the barbed wire fence perimeter. We regrouped and decided that further negotiation was required and so we on mass made our demands that the camping site be provided closer to the detention centre.

The commander said that he would have to think about it and after a short period we were lead to believe that we would be able to move further up the road towards the centre. People grabbed their camping gear and possessions and proceeded up the first hill and towards the Baxter detention centre. After hundreds of people had travelled about 400 - 500 metres a new police line was formed and we were told that would as far as we could go.

We could go no further with camping equipment and so people said, "fine!" and proceed to setup camp. This was around when the first arrest happened, it was a woman who apparently used offensive language and possibly another for wearing a studded wrist band. Again the commander got on the loud hand-held speaker and said that he would give us a chance to break into our affinity groups so that we could work out our next negotiation. They now had decided that they wanted us to move back 100 metres or so and only on one side of the gas pipe line.

While people moved around trying to find one another discussion began and at that moment mounted police travelled up the road to a point where they could cross the gas pipe line. Before we had been given a chance to further negotiate with the commander the horses where charging people and their tents. Few injuries were reported but large amounts of people's possessions where trampled and finally misplaced.

The commander informed us that they would transport our possession because they were not going to allow us to cross the police line to get them. People chanted, ALWAYS WAS >> ALWAYS WILL BE >> ABORIGINAL LAND.

At some point during this Thea Williams, Australian reporter was arrested and then shortly after released. We were then forced back up the hill and it finally meant that we ended up only gaining an extra 100 metres for the original camping ground. Once we made it back onto the hill things quiet down and we were finally allowed to set our tent city. No restriction was made after that other than that they might do random searches or confiscate anything they thought was a weapon.

After constructing our tents and settling in night fell and people gathered around the camp fire started with a scared indigenous flame. With the blessings of the locals we converged as long as we respected their land. As a result of much discussion it was decided that it would be a totally peaceful event and that the entire goal was to make as much noise as possible in HOPE that the refugees would hear us. As long as we could achieve contact and show them that we are in solidarity with them and are against this inhumane policy of detention, we would succeed.

400 - 500 hundred people walked down the path leading toward the centre in the distance. It was night but the sky was illuminated by a full moon and the helicopter with its power search light. Using torches we spotted police hiding in waiting to ambush and quickly scampered upon discovery. Protestors with pots and pans, maracas, bongos and more made a rhythmic sound as we marched towards Baxter. People chanted AZADI >> FREEDOM and it was awesome.

Arriving at Baxter after our 2 and a bit kilometre walk we reached almost to the front gate. The gas pipe line ran parallel with the centre and between it and the police was only a barbed wire fence. People occasionally laugh and heckled at the police but for the most they added to a harmonic chant and rhythmic beat. AZADI >> FREEDOM >> AZADI >> FREEDOM. At one point my friend Kate was able to get an officer to chant along with us until he got into trouble over it.

I asked them how their parents got to this country which upset a few accept one who lifted his helmet and said, “by boat”. He was an Asian looking man and instantly I knew that he knew what I was saying and where I was coming from, he smiled. Shortly after the barbed wire fence came down and still the police just stood there looking at us not being violent. Sure we knocked the fence over but we didn't throw anything, we had no weapons and we were peaceful.

An hour or more passed and we still chanted, occasionally we would stop and could hear the sweet sounds of the refugees calling back to us. The police were tired and extremely frustrated as they eagerly awaited people to start violent acts. Patience was lost and on the odd occasion they ran into the crowd they would try and grab certain people they had obviously selected.

THE MEATHEADS

At one point two police officers ran into the crowd and accidentally tripped over a paralegal observer and when they stood up they hit each other by accident. They turned around as if ready to fight one another and then realised that they were both police officers. After about 2 hours of chanting we chanted finally, "We'll be back" and we proceed back to the camp site feeling extremely successful and emotional about the contact that we had made with the refugees inside Baxter.

Day 2: Operation make more peaceful contact

Early Saturday another meeting was held around the scared camp fire. People shared announcements, groups like the paralegals, medical units regrouped and then a decision to once again peacefully march to the centre was made. People prepared their musical instruments, flags, kites and gathered at the rallying point on the hill. Once we started to head off flags, banners, placards and even a giant size cardboard set of bolt cutters were confiscated. Other things like walkie talkies were also taken and then finally they went as far as to arrest people flying kites. Once the crowd had massed fully they just gave up and many from Newcastle, Sydney and I made it the entire 2 and half kilometre walk flying a dove kite made from DIMIA's propaganda Harmony day plastic.

PORT AUGUSTA TALIBAN AT WORK

We once again made it down all the way to the front gate and there were only sporadic arrest mostly for trespassing. Signs, placards, balloons and even kites were mounted on the barbed wire fence. The harmonic chant and rhythmic beats rang through the air and we made further contact with the refugees inside. Some people had mobile phone contact with people inside Baxter and further confirmation was had of our success to breach the barrier by sound, love and compassion.

This really annoyed the police who continue to increase their snatch and grab approach to arrests and usually only when people were alone. One man sitting on the gas pipe line was grabbed from behind. He was casually sitting whilst having a cigarette with his back to the frontline of police. He was all by himself and it was at a time when we were all leaving to head back to the camp. Others were plucked from the front of the crowd. Later that evening after people enjoy great food from Food Not Bombs - Brisbane and great sounds from the Rock On Against Racism concert and about 6 o'clock in the evening people once again headed down towards the centre.

As protestors approached Baxter a large group decide that they would make a mercy dash across a field in front of Baxter, lowering a small section of the fence they managed to out run the police lines to the other side of the detention centre. A helicopter was buzzing everyone but still the protesters got within a hundred metres or so from where we had been told where the refugees were being kept.  They got right up to the 7-9 amp electric fence and chanted, AZADI - FREEDOM - AZADI - FREEDOM, while banging pots and pans

After a short period the police were able to rush in enough riot gear clad officers to the scene. As they rush back some were arrested just as they made it back to the barbed wire fence line. Other protested raised the fence once all that hadn't been arrest were over so that mounted police and foot patrols could not march over to get us. We continue to chant and could once again hear the refugees calling back to us when we were silent. A link was made by mobile telephone to a refugee inside who once again confirmed that our contact had been made.

Once again we return to the camp chanting, "We'll be back". Back at the camp the Rock On Against Racism concert ramped up and a huge festive spirit was present.

Day 3: Pay back – Operation Heavy Hand

Again protesters went down to the centre in the morning and further peace actions were done. Helium balloons were released and heaps of yellow stars were placed along the fence which was a symbol used in Nazi Germany for concentration camps. Chanting and drumming filled the air and once again our message was received by the refugees suffering inside.

Star Force

Later on that day there was an incident on the hill where the camp site was. A team of armed police blocked access to people rushing to a group later identified as Star Force which entered the camp. Some were brandishing MP5 Heckler Koch sub machine guns as they search for individuals they had identified from footage taken from the telephoto zoom lens camera aboard the helicopter. I ask a local police officer what was going on.

He said to me, "They've spotted something resembling a weapon pointing at the helicopter. It has very powerful camera equipment and believes there could be a weapon amongst the protestors." I asked him how likely this was, to which he responded, "Star squad are a bit over the top. I'm pretty sure they know it was only a camera tripod." So it seems from this statement that it was just an exercise or show of strength, mostly as a result of pent-up frustration from the lack of violent action from the protestors. This sort of unit is for anti-terrorist missions, and it would now appear that is how they considered our protest.

We were now considered terrorist and it was a very stupid and extremely dangerous over-kill response, one that had the potential to killed hundreds of people within seconds if something had of gone wrong. Does this mean Australia resorts to killing protestors? We are Australians protesting against Australian policies on human rights. After the Star Force squad left most of the protestors packed up and headed off to the Port Augusta Prison.

A small protest was held outside the Port Augusta prison in solidarity with the refugees who have been imprisoned there over the New Years Eve fires in Baxter. We were also there in solidarity with the indigenous people of Australia who make up the largest group in Australia for imprisonment and deaths in custody.

In conclusion the protest at Baxter over the Easter long weekend was a huge success. We set out to be peaceful and show our support and solidarity with the refugees inside. We did that while reminding the world once more of this barbaric policy of indefinite mandatory detention. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock may try to make the people believe he won, but in reality we did all we set out to achieve, and in the end it is he who is yet again under constant fire for this humane policy. As he stumbles to justify his actions and those of the police, it was clear to all that we were the moral victors; the educated, peaceful and compassionate ones.

In peace & solidarity,
Matt