A group of protesters climbed to the roof of a Melbourne hotel and others barricaded themselves inside to demand the release of asylum seekers held in the property on Tuesday.
In a live video posted on Facebook, about six protesters are seen climbing to the roof of the Mantra Hotel in Preston, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
It is believed protesters occupied the hotel about 7.30am on Tuesday, holding banners and speaking on a megaphone, demanding the release of the more than 65 asylum seekers held at the site.
Victoria police have officers at the scene.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday morning, the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance (Waca) said the protest ended on Tuesday afternoon after demonstrators were escorted from the hotel by police.
The protesters said they barricaded themselves inside “in an act of solidarity with the people transferred under Medevac legislation from Manus Island and Nauru who are detained on the third floor of the hotel”.
The police have removed all 8 refugee supporters occupying the roof and hotel rooms. Please call the below numbers and demand the release of all refugees and asylum seekers being held in #Mantra and other detention centres especially during #COVID19Aus #GameOver #EndDetention pic.twitter.com/yPpY4INFKb
— WACA (@akaWACA) May 12, 2020
Photo of refugee supporters on the roof of #Mantra hotel calling for the release of asylum seekers and refugees being held in Mantra and all onshore and offshore detention. This is a human rights and a public health issue #GameOver #Justice4Refugees #COVID19AUS #auspol #Manus pic.twitter.com/vvbj89K9MN
— WACA (@akaWACA) May 12, 2020
The laws, which saw close to 180 people brought to Australia, were repealed in December.
“Why are such vulnerable people being held under unsafe conditions during the Covid-19 crisis?” Waca said.
Images posted on social media show the protesters on the roof of the hotel and inside what appears to be a hotel room holding signs such as “End Detention” and “Let them Out”.
The protesters who had barricaded themselves inside the hotel reportedly paid for a night’s accommodation, according to the Herald Sun.
The Guardian reported in December that the men are being detained on whole floors of the hotel, under guard, and were unable to interact with other hotel patrons.
Farhad Bandesh, who said he was transferred from the Mantra to the Melbourne Immigration and Transit Accomodation centre, said the men were transferred to Australia for medical treatment.
“We are locked up at hotels and detention centres,” he said in a video on Facebook posted by the protesters.
“This is not fair to treat those people who are sick, mentally and physically … we need to release [them] from these cages.”
The protest is the latest demonstration against the detention of asylum seekers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Activists have been fined for breaching lockout laws in previous protests, including a recent car convoy in Melbourne which saw police fine 30 protesters about $50,000.
On Monday, protesters held a picnic outside the Kangaroo Point Central Hotel and Apartments in Brisbane where 120 asylum seekers are being held following an easing of Covid-19 restrictions that allowed people to gather outside in small groups.
Six protesters were reportedly fined $1,334 each and others were detained, the Refugee Solidarity Meanjin group said.
• Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
