Rubenerd

I'm quoting this entire email from the Australian Greens verbatim, because it’s important. If you’re in Australia, please sign this.

Dear Ruben,

The sheer scale of the unfolding tragedy in Syria is overwhelming. Four million people are fleeing for their lives. Half of them are children.

Many of you would have seen the heart wrenching photograph of the little Syrian boy who drowned trying to escape the war. His body was washed up on the shore.

It is devastating. So too is the knowledge that there are millions of children, men and women who are facing immense harm and often death.

We are so fortunate in Australia to be in a position where we can offer safety to some of these frightened and desperate people. We have the privilege to live in a country with the means to welcome people when they need our help.

That’s why today Sarah Hanson-Young and I are calling for the government to grant an additional 20,000 humanitarian visas to Syrian refugees.

Please add your voice and show this government that there are thousands of Australians who want to live in a country that’s strong enough to offer safety to people fleeing harm.

I know that in light of recent history it can be difficult to imagine us welcoming Syrian refugees into our communities.

But it wasn’t always like this.

Australia had a dignified history of opening its arms to people when they needed our help the most. We welcomed emergency intakes of refugees from China and the Balkans following natural disasters, and we welcomed Vietnamese refugees after the war we fought.

We can be that sort of country again.

Will you join me and call on the government to offer fleeing people safety and respite from war?

The world is facing a rare humanitarian crisis. More people are fleeing for their lives than at any other time in history. Our proposal is for the 20,000 Syrians who are granted humanitarian visas to be processed onshore in Australia, and Syrian refugees who are currently being held on Manus Island and Nauru to be granted asylum.

We are strong enough to help.

The war in Syria is complex and there is no single, simple solution. But what is clear, is that dropping more bombs and ignoring the millions of people who are literally running for their lives is not a solution at all. Standing by and doing nothing to ease this crisis is not an option.

We can help by giving 20,000 people safety.

With hope,
Richard Di Natale
Leader of the Australian Greens