Wednesday, 23 May 2001

 Media Release

Ethnic Australians, indigenous Australians and asylum seekers who have become soft targets in the Australian political, police and judicial systems are the subject of a Forum called Imprison and Detain: Racialised Punishment in Australia.

"For indigenous Australians it’s mandatory sentencing, for asylum seekers it’s mandatory detention in sub-human conditions and for ethnic Australians it’s ‘ethnic gangs’ stereotyping leading to harsher prison sentences and higher imprison rates" said UNITY Fairfield Councillor Thang Ngo, one of the speakers at this Forum.

Artists, activists and academisc including author Ruby Langford Ginibi (Don’t Take your Love to Town, Haunted by the Past), film maker Paula abood (of Middle Eastern Appearance, The Politics of Belly Dancing), activists Ray Jackson, Thang Ngo, Maqsood Alshams and Charandev Singh and academics Chris Cunneen and Suvendi Perera will join a number of speakers, performers and rappers at the Forum.