The protesters were responding to moves by Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) agents, who in the aftermath of the bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali in mid-October that killed 190 people, have raided the homes of numerous Indonesian families in Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne. The cops claim they’re searching for individuals with links to the organization Jemaah Islamiah (JI). Police have spent hours at each home seizing computers, mobile phones, documents, and family videos.

The Australian government October 27 listed JI as a "terrorist" group after prompting the United Nations to do so several days earlier. Last June the Australian parliament amended the Crimes Act to outlaw United Nations-designated "terrorist" organizations, and to make joining or supporting them a criminal offense.

Warrants for the raids were issued October 27 under the Crimes Act and ASIO Act, which allow such operations in cases alleged to be important to "national security." Heavily armed and masked police pointed guns at four children, one as young as four, during a raid on the home of a Perth Muslim family.

The oldest daughter, Yulyani Suparta, 17, said the family had been in bed asleep when federal agents and armed police in riot gear burst into their home on October 30 early in the morning. "We heard this loud bang and we all woke up," Suparta said. "All of a sudden our door broke down and all these policemen with big handguns screamed at us to get down. One of them pushed me and told me to get down on the floor. He pointed the gun at my face."

Men in the homes raided by cops were purported to have attended lectures in Australia given by Abu Bakar Bashir, a Muslim cleric from Indonesia who was arrested in Indonesia soon after the Bali bombing. Bashir frequently visited Australia between 1993 and 1996. He would stay several weeks each time to lecture and lead prayers among the Indonesian immigrant community. ASIO claims that Bashir is the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah.

Among those participating in the protest in Sydney was Jaya Basri, the target of the first raid. He faced Mecca and led the mid-afternoon call to prayer outside the locked gates of the prime minister’s residence, flanked by uniformed and plainclothes security officers. The protesters were demanding an audience with Prime Minister John Howard. "We are trying to tell him they don’t have to come to our houses, we will cooperate with them. We have nothing to hide," stated Romzi Ali, secretary of the Islamic Society of Manly Warringah.

Stephen Hopper, a lawyer for the six families, said, "The raids are a vulgar and base example of racial profiling of innocent and defenseless community members who are being made scapegoats." He added, "We’ve had more than 40 raids by ASIO since September 11 [of last year], and not one has resulted in an arrest or a charge in relation to terrorist activity."  
 
Raids met with outrage in Indonesia
The raids, which are downplayed by politicians and described by the media in Australia as "investigations," have been highly publicized in Indonesia, where they have met with widespread outrage. These assaults on people from Indonesia who are Australian citizens or residents have heightened tensions between Jakarta and Canberra.

Dr. Marty Natalegawa, a spokesman for Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the Australian embassy in Jakarta to find out why "the basic norms of international conduct" had not been followed by the Australian government. He said Indonesia’s embassy in Australia found out about the searches from media reports.

In addition to the recent raids, Natalegawa said, two other "anti-terrorist" proposals by Australia’s rulers could undermine relations between the countries. First is a suggestion made by Defense Minister Robert Hill that Australian troops might be sent to Indonesia to join local troops there in fighting "terrorism." Second is a report stating that ASIO may open a new office in Jakarta.

Civil liberties groups and Muslim leaders condemned the force used in the raids. Liberty Victoria vice president Greg Connellan said the raids went against freedom of association and expression.

New South Wales Council of Civil Liberties president Cameron Murphy said that on the surface the raids looked like a campaign of harassment. "The fact that there have been so many raids and that no one has been charged suggests that there is no evidence. It suggests that it is a fishing exercise or a publicity stunt," he stated.

Gabr Elgafi, chairman of the Supreme Islamic Council of NSW, expressed alarm that innocent people caught up in the raids might not be able to clear their names. "The after-effects will remain with these families for years to come," he said.  
 
Stepped-up immigration roundups
Alongside the ASIO raids, immigration officials have picked up 80 Indonesians since the October 12 Bali bombings. This included six Indonesian workers apprehended on visa violations at a Sydney factory.

In the face of criticism, Prime Minister Howard reiterated, "There were reasons for those raids and I defend 100 per cent what ASIO has done. I find it amazing that people could seriously question the national need for this to occur." The raids were also supported by Labor, with the Opposition Leader, Simon Crean, saying that "if the authorities have evidence on which they have to act, we totally support them."

The only candidates speaking out against the raids were Robert Aiken, the Communist League candidate for Lakemba, and Douglas Cooper, the Communist League candidate for Canterbury, in the New South Wales state elections.

"The government is using the Bali bombings as a pretext to step up its two-front war against working people at home and abroad," said Aiken. "Our campaign condemns these raids which are ultimately aimed at the struggles of working people as a whole."

Joanne Kuniansky is a member of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union.  
 
 
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