Two Christian protesters in Australia have been arrested after hanging suspended four storeys above the foreign office minister Julie Bishop in protest at the country's treatment of asylum seekers.
Cornerstone Church pastor Jarrod McKenna and psychologist Delroy Bergsma started their protest at 5 am on Wednesday and were detained six and a half hours later at 11.30 am. Flying banners reading 'SOS Manus' and 'Love makes a way for asylum seekers', the pair say Australia's policy of holding refugees on Manus Island, known for its squalid conditions, leaves them hanging in the balance.
'That's why we are hanging here, urgently calling on the foreign minister and the government to take immediate action to ensure no more people die on Manus,' said McKenna.
'What's happening on Manus Island is an emergency – 600 people who sought safety in Australia have been imprisoned for years and are now deprived of food, water, medical care and a safe future.'
Bergsma described the conditions on Manus Island as 'desperate and urgent'.
He said: 'We are appealing to the over 300 Christians who have been involved in #LoveMakesAWay to date to take immediate action. We are also appealing to all Australians of good conscience to take immediate action in support of the 600 people held on Manus. We must not let the Manus Island death toll rise.'
The pair are part of the 'Love Makes A Way' peaceful protest movement and are calling for the island to be evacuated.
Writing on Facebook McKenna said he wanted the inmates to know that although 'they were invisible to the Australian public, that they were in their prayers.'
He said: 'Our prayer that this will make you visible, that your cries will be heard and your suffering will be seen.
'We just want to thank you for your courage your kindness to ask, we want to ask for your forgiveness for the fact that for 4 plus years 5 billion dollars has been spent on infrastructure to keep you locked up when you are simply seeking safety.
'We hope these small actions will be a little sign that you are not forgotten, you're not invisible that your lives are of worth.'
