Candlelight gatherings staged in towns and cities to remember drowned Turkish boy Aylan Kurdi and call on politicians to tackle unfolding humanitarian disaster

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Tens of thousands of people attended candlelight vigils across Australia in support of refugees on Monday evening, adding their voices to the growing pressure on Australia to accept more people who are fleeing the war in Syria.

Large crowds attended the Light the Dark events in Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart to honour the life of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body was pictured on a Turkish beach, sparking an outcry over Europe’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

The call went out on social media under the hashtags #refugeeswelcome and #LightTheDark, with planned gatherings in major cities as well as more spontaneous events elsewhere.

#LightTheDark: readers share their photos from around Australia Read more

cosmic sans (@mcat_ee) aaaaaa so proud that so many peoples showed up at the #adelaide #lightthedark pic.twitter.com/jk9mchdho4

Social Justice (@JamUCWA) Lighting candles of compassion for Aylan and all those fleeing danger #LightTheDark #Perth pic.twitter.com/lVrtrXu4yT

A crowd of several thousand gathered in the drizzle of Melbourne’s Treasury Gardens to call for more to be done to help Syrian refugees. Several held signs offering to share their homes with those escaping the four-year war, which has resulted in more than 4 million people fleeing the country.



Melanie Tait (@MelanieTait) Hobart #LightTheDark. Photo by @jamesfahy. pic.twitter.com/6voGJk3CMc

Pamela Curr, of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said such rallies would continue until the Australian government “opens its heart, opens its mind and opens the doors of Australia. We will keep coming out to fight, to light the dark until our government opens its heart and opens the door.”

In Sydney, about 5,000 people rallied in Hyde Park, with many people holding signs reading, “You are welcome here.”



ASRC (@ASRC1) Wow Melbourne. Get down to Treasury Gardens now - this is huge #LightTheDark #refugeeswelcome pic.twitter.com/aTLlj6rvW2

A Gosford Anglican priest, Rod Bower, spoke to the crowd about Aylan Kurdi. The image of Aylan’s body, washed on to a Turkish beach after his family’s bid to flee Syria by boat, has become a symbol of the humanitarian crisis.

#LightTheDark: share your photos and videos Read more

“Without warning this child has become every refugee,” Bower said. “An archetype, every refugee, calling us to the fullness of humanity.

“None but the wilfully deaf, the wilfully blind and the dead of heart can remain unmoved. Sadly it is those wilfully blind, to our eternal shame, who govern us this day.”

The scenes echoed those of February 2014 when vigils were held across the country for Reza Barati, the Iranian man killed during violence at the Manus Island detention centre.

In Darwin, people gathered on the Nightcliff jetty and foreshore to hear speeches by advocates, former Save the Children workers and refugees. Several people held signs reading “People just like us.” In Perth, several hundred people rallied in Northbridge.

A further rally will be held in Canberra on Tuesday, while Brisbane will hold a Light the Dark event on Friday.

jocelyn (@hey_jocelyn) #Lismore gathered to #LightTheDark and call on our leaders to increase intake of refugees #refugeeswelcome here! 💛 pic.twitter.com/a5N9bA9RMr

State governments and federal MPs have been increasing the pressure on Tony Abbott to accept a far greater number of Syrians.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Some of the crowd at Nightcliff Jetty in Darwin listen to speeches. Photograph: Helen Davidson/The Guardian

Abbott has said Australia would take a “significant” number of Syrians but will not increase the overall refugee quota, which stands at nearly 14,000 people.

Labor has said 10,000 extra places should immediately be made available to those fleeing Syria. Ewen Jones, a Liberal MP, told the ABC that the number should be higher, at around 50,000.

The Victorian state government and opposition have called for a greater refugee intake, while Mike Baird, the New South Wales premier, told ABC’s Q&A program that the figure could be more than 10,000 people. “Who is to say we can’t do more?” he said.

Colin Barnett, the West Australian premier, has said the state could deal with 1,000 refugees while his South Australian counterpart, Jay Weatherill, has told Abbott that the state could house 700 to 800 people.



Refugees are Australia's most entrepreneurial migrants, says research Read more

Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) #Melbourne you're doing us proud as you #LightTheDark to say #refugeeswelcome. Yes they are! #AylanKurdi #Syria pic.twitter.com/3NmfSUaC3b

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said on Monday: “We are proposing a significant increase because this is a significant crisis.”

Dr Cat Dorey (@CatfishStory) vigil for refugees in Hyde Park Sydney is growing! #refugeeswelcome pic.twitter.com/kwhuwD0xqc

Tony Abbott hints at taking fight to Isis in Syria amid pressure to help country's refugees Read more

Shalailah Medhora, Helen Davidson and Australian Associated Press contributed to this report