Palm Sunday Walk the ‘least we can do’ for refugees in limbo
- kirranicolle
- Apr 17
- 2 min read
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
The Salvation Army Asylum Seeker and Refugee Service (ASRS) in Brunswick, Melbourne’s inner suburbs, recently participated in its 15th Palm Sunday Walk for Refugees.
The event, held on Palm Sunday each year, winds its way from the Princes Bridge to Tom’s Block on St Kilda Road. The walk is an initiative of the Refugee Advocacy Network and serves to push for action on delivering Permanent visas to those in limbo on Temporary Protection or Safe Haven Enterprise visas.
ASRS Manager Major Rod Serojales said to him, the event demonstrated what civil rights campaigner Cornel West meant when he said that “justice is what love looks like in public”.
“By walking there, bringing your flag, by wearing Salvation Army apparel – it’s showing love to the public,” Rod said.
Joining the team from ASRS were the teams from Brunswick Farsi Fellowship, Merri-bek City Salvos and Richmond Corps.
Rod said that in his work at the service, he met people multiple times per week who were part of the 8000 still living in limbo across the country, who struggled to obtain enough food and money to survive each day due to their visa status. He said many had come to Australia from intense threat and danger and deserved love and care. Rod said while he had only been in the role for about three months, the realities of it ‘crushed him every day’.
“They are people like you and me, they have rights,” he said. “I just wish I could do more.”
Rod said as a migrant himself, he knew how it felt to be new to the country.
“I know how it feels to be welcomed in this country, and I can help welcome [migrants],” he said.
Rod said over and over in the Bible, God talked about the importance of loving our neighbours, welcoming the stranger and doing what we can for ‘the least of these’. He said as he walked, he was also reflecting on his role as a Salvationist, whose vision was to live, love and fight wherever there was hardship or injustice.
“This is the least thing that I could do to support them – to walk with them,” he said. “I think as a Christian, that's the right thing to do as well.
“I think [we are putting] that vision into action by walking there and standing up for injustice.”
