FLAYM Demonstration Sydney Australia.

Pictures from the Demonstration

"From HerMajesty"

On Sunday the 28th March 2004, a seminar was held at a function centre in Sydney Australia, with the aim of introducing the Syrian and Arabic speaking community to the newly appointed Syrian ambassador to Australia. A further objective of the assembly was to provide information on the new Syrian Embassy in Australia which is to be established with in the next few weeks.

When FLAYM found out about the function, we decided to make an appearance and let the new ambassador know that here in Australia, freedom of speech is respected. Thus, with only three days notice, we contacted the youth members of the FPM and LF units and asked them to join FLAYM in our peaceful gathering.

We prepared large posters which displayed pictures of the violations of human rights being committed against the Lebanese in Lebanon under the Syrian occupation. We also wrote in large print a number of posters in English and Lebanese with the following statements such as: “Lebanon for the Lebanese”;
“Why are there so many Lebanese in YOUR Syrian jails?”; “Freedom is NOT a Crime” and so on.

Our intention was to pass on a very clear message to the Syrian ambassador, that there exist Lebanese patriots in Australia who strongly oppose the Syrian hegemony over Lebanon, and who are outraged by the careless disregard of human rights being exercised by Syrian agents against our people especially the university students. We wanted to show that freedom of speech should never be treated as a crime and that we are in solidarity with our compatriots in Lebanon who are calling for freedom, sovereignty and independence.

The ambassador was made to wait 20 minutes in his vehicle while the organizers tried to disperse us with threats. At this, we casually reminded them that we are in a democratic country where our voices are not silenced with the blow of a baton or the like of such.

Our actions were indeed effective for, despite the small number that we were, within an hour of our presence the organizers of the event had called the police and had even decided to cancel the seminar.
Being informed of this, the manager of the premises asked us to leave so that the event could proceed as we had halted and disrupted the whole agenda. Out of respect for his (the manager) Lebanese nationality, we migrated to the two public entrances and continued our peaceful remonstration. We did not leave until the Ambassador himself was forced to pass through our gathering, reading the large statements while trying to maintain an amiable expression.

Unlike our compatriots in Lebanon, we were not physically abused with batons, punches, kicks and high pressure water hoses. Nor were we taken to jail or tortured. But if there is one hope we have, it is to let our brothers and sisters back home in Lebanon know that we appreciate all they are enduring for Lebanon, and that every blow they receive is like a knife in our hearts. They are always in our thoughts and they are not alone.

FLAYM would like to thank all its members for attending at such short notice. We would like to thank as well the FPM and LF youth members who also joined and co-operated commendably. After all, we are all under the one aim which is to see a Free Lebanon.