Palm Sunday rally cancelled, campaign for refugees to continue

With the federal government stepping in to ban gatherings of 500 and more people as part of COVID-19 preparation, the Palm Sunday Peace March has been cancelled for 2020. This, however, is far from where things end.

The rally has long attracted a large and diverse crowd to highlight the peace issues of the day. As such, the event had the potential risk of spreading the virus.

The Palm Sunday peace rally has a long history, dating back to the 1970s. However, the event has not run every year.

In lieu of attending public gatherings, Uniting Social Justice Forum is encouraging people to display a Give Hope Campaign banner. Banners can be purchased from the Synod website.

Those who wanted to attend could also support the Game Over Campaign. This campaign calls on the Australian Government to use available avenues to resettle asylum seekers currently in limbo in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The campaign especially calls on the government to accept New Zealand’s offer to take 150 refugees each year, until all are re-settled.  
 
The Game Over campaign asks people to sign a petition or write a letter to their local MP to support this cause.  

The rally was set to take place on Sunday, 5 April (Palm Sunday).