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'Fucking disgraceful': Russell Crowe unloads on Manus Island Crisis
by Fergus Hunter via shirl - SMH Wednesday, Nov 1 2017, 10:49pm
international / prose / post

SHAME on Australia

First of all many thanks to Russell for jolting the nation's conscience. All humans have a tendency to run from unpleasant realities but some are unavoidable and MUST be dealt with in a civilised ENLIGHTENED manner, even it if takes a little rough characteristic Aussie speech to get the point home. Well done, Russell Crowe, and please do not stop there, you have the support of the majority and if you continue to use your international fame and notoriety to compromise the current, inhuman, despicable government, known for its lies, political deceptions and thorough incompetence, you and the majority of Australians which were born overseas and second generation ethnic Australians, which now comprise over 51% of the population, would win the day and restore Australia's humanitarian reputation and common decency for the WORLD to see. Put simply, Turnbull, Hanson and their xenophobic values DO NOT REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OF AUSTRALIANS.

Russell Crowe

Actor Russell Crowe has lashed out at Australia's handling of the escalating situation at the Manus Island detention centre, labelling it a "nation's shame" and offering to house and support refugees himself.

More than 600 men are refusing to leave the now-decommissioned centre in Papua New Guinea and relocate to alternative accommodation. They have expressed concerns for their safety, and asylum seeker advocates say the facilities are not ready.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also reiterated her country's offer to take 150 refugees annually from Australia's detention centres, and said she would raise the issue of Australia's tough treatment of asylum seekers, including the men on Manus, in her first meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this weekend.

Ms Ardern said New Zealand was "lucky" not to be dealing with a situation like Australia's.

"I am looking forward, though, to having a conversation directly with the Prime Minister on Sunday about some of those issues - and New Zealand's role and view on Manus Island in particular," she said.

The Turnbull government has maintained that PNG authorities are responsible for protecting the detainees and has previously declined to take up New Zealand's offer.

As the stand-off enters its third day, the men have been drinking and washing in water collected in rubbish bins at the centre.

A long-time resident of Australia, the New Zealand-born Crowe weighed in on Twitter on Wednesday night.

"Manus. A nation's shame. Lives held in limbo. Lives lived in fear and despair. It's f---ing disgraceful," he said.

He said he had contemplated what he could personally do to help.

"I believe I could house and find jobs for six. I'm sure there'd be other Australians who would do the same," he added.

Best-known for his roles in Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, Crowe has in the past indicated support for progressive politicians such as former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard and former US president Barack Obama.

Ms Ardern's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Winston Peters – whose decision to enter into a coalition agreement propelled her to power – has criticised the offer to resettle refugees in New Zealand in the past.

"That was an offer made by the previous administration. At this point in time, we've had no discussions on it inside this coalition," he told Fairfax Media last week.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the men should move to the new accommodation and said advocates were making a "very difficult situation even worse".

"We've got a deal with the United States to move 1200 people. I want to close Manus as quickly as possible, but it doesn't help when you've got the Greens and others who are telling people not to engage, not to move," he told the Nine Network.

As of last month, about 50 detainees from Manus and Nauru had left for the US.

Lawyers are hopeful the PNG government could dramatically intervene in the desperate situation by reopening the abandoned centre or striking a resettlement deal with New Zealand.

PNG lawyer Ben Lomai has applied for an injunction that would force the local government to re-establish the facility's essential services. He is expecting a decision from the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Mr Lomai and Australian barrister Greg Barns suggested PNG could deal directly with New Zealand to solve the crisis.

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[It is clear to the international community that RACIST and tortuous Australia is not a humanitarian nation. To play politics with people devastated by America's destructive, mass murdering, civilian killing, and nation destroying wars (for profit) is abhorrent to any civilised society. These refugees have no choice, they are forced to flee the horrors that face them in their war torn nations by whatever means, to expect them to queue up in thoroughly devastated nations and apply at immigration departments which do not exist, is ABSURD; these people have suffered enough; imagine for a minute what it would be like to face possible death DAILY and then, for survival's sake be forced to leave the nation of your birth and heritage.

Perhaps we should export all racist Australians to war-torn nations in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere where anyone could die any minute, and give them and their pea-brains a taste of REALITY. These people are VICTIMS of America's insane illegal wars and Australia, considering its brutal past at the hands of the British Empire, should know better than to allow a clearly racist, conservative government to continue to TORTURE these people and use them to play political football.

There is no avoiding the harsh reality that the anal, insular, violent values of Australian conservatives are not reflective of the values of the MAJORITY of Australians, the vast majority of which are not Anglo-conservatives. If the conservative government, comprised of minorities that adhere to antiquated values persist in this clearly heartless, shameful behaviour, they would do it at their own very great cost at the next election. Perhaps Turnbull and Dutton should join Pauline Hanson's party and openly display the sordid and perverse values they really share -- the majority of Australians are NOT anal, racist, fearful, xenophobes, that is the simple REALITY.

The conservatives are in fact dragging Australia's once good name and reputation through the mud and the majority would not allow it to continue; take note all political leaders, if you value your careers. These types must not be supported in the name of civilised humanity/society and a free Australia. Australia will not be shamed by antiquated values expressed by an obvious MINORITY.

Thank you again Russell Crowe for bringing the matter to the forefront of cultural consciousness. And shame, shame, shame, on all anal Australian conservative politicians, which if anyone has noticed are also thoroughly inept and politically incompetent; furthermore, they clearly only support elite corporatists, NOT THE PEOPLE and criminal, war-mongering Washington and its current lunatic leader in whose corporatist name and profit all America's wars are fought.

Wake up Oz and reject these wars of massive destruction, destabilisation, mass murder and unimaginable hardship for the profit of a few, which result in millions of fleeing refugees which disrupt many nations world wide.

This problem is curable with the minimum of effort, we therefore challenge useless Turnbull and opportunistic Shorten, both slaves to the corporate elites, to do something constructive and remedy this now unavoidable problem!]

Turnbull and Hanson, racists and xenophobes

https://tinyurl.com/y8ytlhcf