Rally Beseeches Albanese Government to Overturn Visa Ban for Iranians

Rally Beseeches Albanese Government to Overturn Visa Ban for Iranians

---

Melbourne’s Iranian community has rallied against the Albanese Government’s six-month visa ban, labeling it discriminatory and hypocritical as families remain split apart and lives are left hanging in the balance.

The democratic community of Melbourne cannot comprehend why the Albanese Government is blocking their friends and family members from entering the country.

That was their loud and unmistakable message when they gathered outside the Department of Home Affairs building in Victoria’s capital on April 1.

Thousands of Iranians have been turned away from entering Australia, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stating the move was a response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The ban prevents roughly 7,000 individuals who had already been granted Iranian Visitor visas from traveling. The Albanese Government believes the measure will stop arrivals from overstaying their visits Down Under, and it will remain in effect for six months.

Burke said in a statement that the government was “acting in the national interest amid rapidly changing global conditions,” adding that the measure would allow “time to assess the situation properly, while still allowing flexibility in limited cases.”

“Absolute Discrimination”: Community Fights Back Against Visa Ban

But the decision has been met with fierce opposition from Melbourne’s democratic Iranian community, with leaders calling it hypocritical and discriminatory.

“Our people have been banned from coming to Australia. It’s absolute discrimination under the excuse that our people want to come here and stay longer than the duration of their visa,” Mel-Iran rally organizer Kian Vijeh told The Daily Declaration.

“And what is that based on? Where is the judgment coming from?

“We’re here to raise our voices and to spread this message as far as we can, so we can tell the government here that we are chanting for the freedom of our people who are at risk of execution.

“They’re at risk of death in Iran. They want to come here with valid visas, and they’ve been banned.

“This is wrong. We’re not going to stop. We’re not going to stay silent.”

Cancer Patient Cut Off From Her Mother

Many in Melbourne’s Iranian democratic community are also questioning why they cannot bring their family and friends to Australia — particularly the sick and elderly.

Atousa Moradi is one of those affected.

She is battling Stage 3 breast cancer and has lived in Australia for a decade. She would likely be arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for protesting against the regime if she were forced to return home.

Her mother is now barred from flying to Australia to care for her and support her through treatment.

These are the people Vijeh is fighting for.

“Of course, we can’t go back to Iran. Who can go back to Iran these days when you show up after speaking against them?” he said.

“We are speaking for freedom. And the least the Australian government can do — or any Western government — is to support these people.

“Don’t ban them from coming to Australia under a valid visa. What is that even about?

“I’ve had friends who have had their visas cancelled, and parents who have a daughter here suffering from cancer.

“We don’t understand it. It is so embarrassing. So we keep coming and turning up.

“We keep speaking up against this injustice that we’re seeing.”

What is especially frustrating for democratic-seeking Iranians in Australia is that people from other war-torn countries and regions — such as Ukraine, Gaza, Iraq, and Syria — have been welcomed to Australia as refugees under the Albanese Government.

Vijeh said this goes against Western values, which traditionally do not discriminate against people based on their nationality or religion.

“I would say it’s 100 percent hypocrisy because look at what we have as our Western values,” he said.

“Western values are about freedom. Western values are about letting people in from any race, ethnicity, religion, whatever nationality.

“And that’s what we’re asking for. Obviously, there’s hypocrisy. If we’re Australian, where are our Western values and respect for our freedoms?

“Where’s the respect for their rights to come to Australia on a valid visa? That is the hypocrisy that we’re seeing.”

Terrorist Supporters Walk Freely While We Are Banned

Vijeh added that Burke’s office needed to reassess its immigration priorities.

He said it should be looking more closely at individuals with IRGC links or those calling for a global intifada at pro-Palestine street rallies — rather than denying democratic-seeking Iranian citizens entry to Australia.

Those pro-Palestine rallies continue to shut down the streets of Australian capital cities.

“There are terrorist supporters walking freely in the streets of Melbourne. And we’ve seen them in the pro-Palestine rallies,” he said.

“Where is the action?

“All our government cares about is to ban some innocent Iranian people with valid visas.

“It is embarrassing for the Western community, and I’m so sorry to see that in this country.

“We can’t stand for this, and we have to keep speaking against it. This can’t continue.”

The Bigger Picture: Iran’s Regime and Global Consequences

Vijeh said there was one positive that could come from rising petrol prices due to the Middle East conflict.

That positive, he argued, is that it could lead more Australians to understand why the US and Israel are fighting to eliminate the oppressive IRGC regime.

“I think the fact that we are seeing the consequences of this regime at the petrol stations is a good wake-up call for society here,” he said.

“We need to know that as long as this regime is there, there is death, destruction and expenses imposed on the ships going through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

“All of that is because of this regime. And what is the Australian Government doing? It’s making the regime happy by not letting in our people who are trying to stay out of a country that is not safe at the moment.

“And also, the children here need their help and support, because the children here are permanent residents and citizens.

“And now their parents are not able to come to Australia with valid visas. That is embarrassing, and we need to speak up.

“We can’t stay silent.”