[imagecaption] Northam Convergence, protest outside Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre, 2013. Photo: Alex Bainbridge for GreenLeft Weekly. [/imagecaption]
[BREAK]
Recent cases of denying rescue or the ability to land safely to people seeking asylum by boat belong in a historical continuum of lethal indifference. In several documented cases, and perhaps in countless others that have not been reported, government or commercial vessels have refused to assist or respond to distress calls in order to evade the obligations and responsibilities that would be invoked through doing so. Often this has been at the expense of peoples’ lives. Even when the distress calls of refugees are considered legitimate, they may still be rendered as un-human subjects whose lives are not worth the inconvenience of saving.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are respectfully advised that this website contains images of and references to deceased persons.
All viewers are respectfully advised that the site contains images of and references to the deaths in custody of Indigenous peoples, Black people and refugees that may cause distress.