Hundreds of Egyptian Australians and members of the Australian public attended a rally in Martin Place, Sydney on Sunday, 22 February to honour the 21 Coptic martyrs of Libya, to share in the grief of their families; and to protest against the growing threat of ISIS.
The event was organised by the Australian Coptic Movement Association (ACM) and was supported by a broad cross-section of the Australian Community. There was a large presence of non-Coptic community members, including from the Assyrian, Maronite, Armenian, Serbian and various African communities.
The event commenced with the National Anthems of both Australia and Egypt followed by a reflective hymn and one minute’s silence to commemorate the 21 men who lost their lives.
ACM’s spokesperson Monica Mikhail delivered a strong speech calling on the Australian Government to:
(i) support President Sisi in his call for international intervention in Libya;
(ii) offer all practical assistance to the Egyptian Government, to safely return Egyptian citizens trapped in Libya back home;
(iii) grant special consideration for the inclusion of Christians from the Middle East and North African region in any humanitarian intake.
The following members of Parliament addressed attendees at the rally:
1- Mr Craig Kelly MP, Liberal Federal Member for Hughes and officially representing the PM Tony Abbott;
2- Hon. David Clark, Liberal member of the Legislative Council and Parliamentary Secretary for Justice;
3- Hon. Greg Donnelley, Labor member of the Legislative Council;
4- Hon. Paul Green, Christian Democratic Party MP and temporary chair of committees for the Legislative
Council.
The following special guests also delivered speeches:
• Address by Dr Eman Sharobeem – CEO Immigrant Women’s Health Service and Australia Day Ambassador.
• Mr Hermiz Shahen – Deputy Secretary Geneal, Universal Assyrian Alliance;
• Rev. Bill Crews AM – Minister of the Ashfield Uniting Church parish, founder and chairman of the Exodus
Foundation.
The ACM was pleased to partner with COPTS Inc who were present at our event and raised a total of $2,600.00 on the day. All funds raised will be directed to the victims’ families in Egypt.
The event was covered by several Australian media outlets including the ABC, SBS and The Sydney Morning Herald.
The ACM would like to thank all those who supported this event. We continue to pray for the families of those who lost their loved ones to ISIS and will continue to advocate on behalf of all Christians facing the threat of persecution in the Middle East and North Africa.
