Press Release
March 1, 2024
On Thursday, February 29th, Australian Greens Senator Janet Rice boldly held a “Stop Human Rights Abuses” placard in front of President Marcos during his address to the Australian Parliament. The Parliament subsequently removed Sen. Rice from the room and later the Senate censured her.
In an address to the Senate, Rice stated “The action I took in the House today was deliberate, and it was powerful. . . I was appalled that President Marcos was given the opportunity to address our parliament today. . . it is appalling that a human rights abuser, of a government of human rights abuses, that the President of that government was able to address our Parliament today.”
The Greens Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Senator Jordan Steele-John, refused to attend the parliamentary session with Marcos Jr, and instead gave a fiery solidarity speech to the Filipino community protest taking place outside the parliament. Another Greens Senator, David Shoebridge also spoke to the protest.
“ICHRP expresses our gratitude to Senator Janet Rice for her bold action,” said ICHRP Chairperson, Peter Murphy. “Rice’s protest is the only appropriate response to Marcos’ presence in the Australian Parliament. President Marcos has done nothing but continue his father’s legacy of intensive repression, and has further empowered the mechanisms of terror set up under the Duterte regime. We also thank Senator Steele-John for his action, Senator Shoebridge for his speech, and all the Australian Greens for their solidarity.”
In her speech on the Senate floor, Rice credited her action to her consultation with Filipinos across Australia, Australian-based members of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, as well as her participation in Investigate PH in 2021
“Senator Janet Rice’s acknowledgement of the work of people’s organizations, including ICHRP, testifies to the importance of persistence and determination in the ongoing campaign for peace based on social justice in the Philippines,” stated Murphy. “In this light, we call on solidarity activists and people’s organizations to tirelessly expose the realities and dire situation in the Philippines and win greater support for the Filipino people’s struggle to respect their rights under the intense repression of the current Marcos Regime. We likewise call on parliamentarians to take inspiration from Senator Rice’s action and to boldly oppose all support to President Marcos”, concluded Murphy. ###
Further comment: Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson. WhatsApp: +61 418312301. Email: [email protected].