Watching what has unfolded in the United States has been scary for many people around the world. But, for the refugees in Manus, it has been more scary. In the many years since we were exiled here we have closely observed the political evolutions in Australia and around the world, and the gradual shifts and sudden jolts further towards scapegoating, intolerance and bigotry. We saw with foreboding that we had had to flee our countries at exactly the wrong time, just as Australia, and the world, was turning its back more and more on the principles enshrined in the Refugee Convention after the horrors of fascism and the Second World War.
Two years ago I wrote that a dictatorship is like a cancer. If you don't stop it right away it will continue to grow until it takes over its host. In other words, when we tolerate injustice anywhere, it will raise its head in other places too. Many people this week are shocked and outraged by Donald Trump's actions. They are right to be outraged. But this is just the latest in a pattern across the Western world. Trump is talking about building a wall. Australia built its wall four years ago.
![Home, sweet home.](/web/20170204112026im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/5/6/o/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu3wqq.png/1486107095394.jpg)
When I watched the recent women's march in Sydney against Donald Trump I was so proud that the feminist movement is powerful enough to bring so many people onto the streets, and such beauty to our world. Seeing that protest, no one could deny the power and creativity of women in our society. That rally, like the protests on January 26 and those breaking out spontaneously now across the US, are a source of hope. On the other hand, as a refugee in Manus prison I could not help feeling disappointed when I compared these huge protests with the rallies here for supporting refugees.
Civil society is like a chain and all of the elements are connected. You cannot be a part of the feminist movement and at the same time stand silent on the migrant crisis. You cannot struggle to protect the environment and at the same time ignore the enormous injustices against Aboriginal people, or fight against climate change but ignore the rights of LGBTIQ people. A year ago a refugee woman set herself on fire in Nauru prison, but the majority of the feminist movement have not stood up to investigate why she felt compelled to take such extreme action, or to demand change. Nor have they rallied enough against the injustice of denying medical care to women on Nauru who urgently need it.
The Australian government is refusing to criticise Donald Trump and his administration even as so many world leaders express their opposition to his actions. At the same time, these two governments that are so comfortable with bigotry have been making secret deals about our future. No one has been watching the events in the US more closely than us.
Maybe some Australians feel reassured we will be sent to safety. But with each development our worry has only increased. First we worried that Trump would win the election. Then we worried more as we waited until Trump took office. To throw us this idea of US resettlement without any details felt like a cruel trick. Now, the deal with the US is confirmed but our stress has only become worse. We still have no details and with each executive order we worry more. The main questions for us are how many people will they accept, and on what basis? Will we be accepted if we have spoken out against Trump? And will they accept people from Iran, Somalia, Iraq and Sudan? It seems that our fate is tied to the fate of the American people more than most. At this time, we can see clearly how this is a global threat. We are among the most exposed, but it is the same threat perceived by those many thousands of women marching just over a week ago.
Of course this fight is not only for women. Everyone who cares about justice has an important role to play. But we will be successful when the structures of political power understand deeply that civil society is united and cares about justice everywhere. In a democratic culture you cannot separate people and treat some as more worthy than others. We cannot forget that all human beings are the same and worthy of the same protection. At this historical moment when Donald Trump and populist politicians are trying to destroy social and democratic values around the world, it is our duty to be united and consolidate around justice, democracy and compassion. We all have our personal limits and cannot do everything on our own, but we can be successful if we work together.
Behrouz Boochani wrote this from Manus prison. It was translated by Dr Nina Jackson.
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