By LAUREN FROST
A refugee group is unhappy with the current ‘Refugees Welcome’ banners outside of Town Hall and continues to petition the City of Sydney Council for better banners.
Stephen Langford for Refugee Lives Matter, an activist group for refugee rights, expressed his disappointment to CityHub.
“What we wanted was endorsed by Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Sr Susan Connelly, Rural Australians for Refugees, Amnesty International Australia, and many others. It was not unreasonable,” Mr Langford said.
Mr Langford has long been campaigning for a ‘Refugees Welcome’ banner across Sydney Town Hall, similar to the banner that has been displayed previously on Madrid City Hall in Spain.
“We have much more reason to ask for what was achieved in Madrid. Australia has set a world example in torturing innocent people. And Sydney shows world class indifference.”
In October last year, Deputy Mayor Sylvie Ellsmore put forward a motion to the council to display ‘Refugees Welcome’ banners after nearly a year of weekly campaigns from Refugee Lives Matter in front of Sydney Town Hall.
“Mr Langford wrote to our office about it on 15th June 2022,” Cr Ellsmore told City Hub.
“Stephen has been running a regular vigil outside Sydney Town Hall – doing the important work of highlighting that Australia continues to treat refugees and asylum seekers in cruel and inhumane ways.”
“I was very happy to support the call for a refugee welcome banner across the Sydney Town Hall, and in other places across the City.”
Banner Banished for Heritage Reasons
However, Cr Ellsmore said that “in 2023, the Council staff advised that a large banner across Sydney Town Hall could not be installed for heritage reasons.”
Mr Langford was not impressed, discussing how the Council has continuously committed to flying banners in front of Sydney Town Hall during Refugee Week, as well as displaying 60 pull up banners in public buildings across the city throughout the year.
“Australia has been violating the Refugee Convention and torturing refugees for three decades,” Langford said.
“My Dad was a refugee from Austria in 1938. He got to NZ-AOTEAROA and started a new life. I was born there. For many refugees, arriving here has been the start of another nightmare, or a death sentence. We have some of their photos at our weekly demonstrations. They have names.”
“A set of limp flags with too many words on them, is what we are given. That is the human rights response of Sydney City Council. They can tick a box… job done… in Australia’s largest city.”
Langford suggested to the Council that the banner be displayed on the pillars of Sydney Town Hall if it could not be displayed elsewhere on the building, even creating a mock-up of this proposal.
However, the City of Sydney Council has expressed to CityHub that due to the Sydney Town Hall’s status as a heritage building of local significance, no banners of any sort can be affixed to the outside of the building, including the pillars.
“To be honest, I would like to see a prominent Refugee Welcome banner flown across the Sydney Town Hall,” Cr Ellsmore said.
“A brighter colour design for future banners would also be great! This is something we’re going to keep working on in future years. I’m sure there’s a way to make it happen, and we’ll keep working on it.”
“But in the meantime, the new banners, being places in so many locations across our City, is an important show of solidarity and support from the Council and our community.”
Lord Mayor Clover Moore echoes this sentiment, telling City Hub, “I’m proud to be the Lord Mayor of a city that is so welcoming to refugees and people seeking asylum who may be escaping unimaginable trauma and persecution.”
“The City of Sydney has been a Refugee Welcome Zone since 2005 and we have a range of free services and low-cost access to programs and facilities like our pools, libraries, gyms and community centres to assist refugees and people seeking asylum settle into life here. We also organise and support events and initiatives that celebrate the diversity of our area and promote inclusion,” she said.
“Flying banners prominently across the city makes it clear to everyone that Sydney is a welcoming place for refugees and people seeking asylum. There are 70 locations where we periodically fly banners showing our support, including on 6 flagpoles outside Town Hall,” the Lord Mayor said.
Whilst Mr Langford has maintained that Cr Ellsmore has been a big help and support on the matter, he also assured City Hub that Refugee Lives matter will “keep fighting” for the ‘Refugees Welcome’ banner across Sydney Town Hall.
