As of 2:24pm on Thursday, eight people were charged with the crime of trespassing, after being taken from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's Subiaco office on Wednesday to the Perth Watch House. Three police vans were used to transport the group—including an Anglican reverend, a Uniting Church minister, Pentecostal and Churches of Christ pastors, and lay leaders—after nine hours inside Ms Bishop's office, and the arrested were subsequently subject to private strip searches after first raising staunch objections.
The Western Australian action was part of the national day of action of the Love Makes A Way organisation, held in response to the refugee and asylum seeker policy of the Abbott government, which has most recently overseen the preparation of 25 babies—who were born in Australia—for deportation to Nauru.
The name "Love Makes A Way" was conceived in direct response to the "No way. You will not make Australia home" campaign slogan, implemented under the former Labor government in collaboration with the Liberal Party—over a one-year period, the campaign cost taxpayers A$22,695,994.
The organisation released a statement on Wednesday afternoon, which provided a forum for Loves Makes A Way spokesperson Kate Leaney to express the organisation's perspective:
"We are here in part to pray and appeal to Mr Morrison that he, as a committed Christian, might have a change of heart and be true to his word ... Today we call on the Government to make a public commitment that no child will be imprisoned offshore. Mr Morrison, these 25 babies born on Australian soil and the 167 children currently in Nauru must be released into the community with their families."
The statement also publicised the arrest of a further 19 Christian protestors, including nuns, Reverends, and Christian leaders from different denominations. However, the sit-ins continued after the arrests were made, and the statement showed that the following MP offices were occupied:
- Adelaide: Jamie Briggs
- Brisbane: George Brandis
- Canberra: Zed Seselja
- Melbourne: Josh Frydenberg
- Melbourne: Kelly O'Dwyer
- Perth: Julie Bishop
- Sydney: Scott Morrison
Although the Department of Immigration declined to speak with the media after the Perth arrests, the Liberal Senator for the ACT, Senator Zed Seselja, released an official statement on Wednesday morning in anticipation of the protests. In the statement, the senator deemed the government's policy—including temporary protection visas and the offshore detention centres—"very effective" and "supported by the Australian people at the last election." The statement also explained that the exact fate of the 25 babies is still being decided by the courts.
The national day action follows a busy year for Loves Makes A Way, which first used the sit-in protest method on March 21 at the Sydney office of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison—the day marked the launch of the Christian movement, which uses a Martin Luther King quote as part of its banner:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
In June, the movement's Adelaide members staged a sit-in at the office of Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs. On that day, nine people were arrested, including the first non-Christian faith leader to become involved, Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky. Then, just over a month ago, five Christian leaders occupied the Canberra office of Mr Seselja.
In August, Eureka Street's James O'Brien used the Good Samaritan parable to highlight its message of mercy as part of his discussion of Love Makes A Way's mission. Mr O'Brien concluded by reminding the Australian people that for "every asylum seeker we send back on the open seas, we lose a potential teacher, cricketer or Australian of the Year."
For more information about Love Makes A Way, please visit the following social media platforms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LoveMakesAWayForAsylumSeekers
Twitter: @lovemakesaway
Hashtag for all social media: #LoveMakesAWay