Written by: Sierrah Kirby
Australia is turning into a complete totalitarian government. Their policies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have been progressively turning Australia back into the prison state it started out as. Australia has now taken away the “five reasons” in which people are allowed to leave their homes. In some territories, you are only allowed to leave if you are in need of medical treatment. Worse than that, the Australian military has begun “relocating” those who have tested positive for COVID-19, or have been in close contact. These people are being taken to Howard Springs by the military. “We’re all just waiting patiently to be fed. It’s like when you shake the bag of dog treats and the dogs come running. We’re all just outside waiting,” said an Australian citizen being held at Howard Springs. One woman has even claimed that she was taken to Howard Springs for lying to contact tracers about receiving a COVID-19 test after being in close contact with someone who tested positive. After she tested negative she was still forced to the quarantine camp for 14 days.
What makes this all the more concerning, Australian journalists are downplaying what is happening immensely. They have been most referred to as, “international arrival bungalows,” when this is in fact, a lie. Reporters have even been posting photos of women in bikinis at Howard Springs to make it look more inviting. They have even been bashing other reporters for calling it out for what it is. Claire Lehmann, notably, has attacked political commentators Tim Pool and Maajid Nawaz for their reporting on these camps, she even labeled them conspiracy theorists. “It might be pleasant, with air con, nice food & free wifi, you might not be forced to go there just given the option if you can’t isolate at home, you might be able drink beer & watch Netflix for 2 weeks while getting paid by the govt, but did you know it’s literally Auschwitz?” said Lehmann. She tweeted back in an attempt to counteract Tim Pool’s comparison to Howard Springs being a concentration camp.
Three teenagers even escaped Howard Springs but were later arrested, fined, AND sent back to Howard Springs after testing negative! These people in the camps were not allowed to leave their homes, not even to purchase groceries. Coercion is not consent. If these people can’t even feed themselves and their families, but are told they can go to Howard Springs, and that’s the only way they can eat, it’s not a genuine option. Australians are being stripped of their rights and the media is not only hiding it, but making up lies to make it seem like this is not as serious a situation as it is. If people are being sent there as punishment, and not when they are even infected, there is valid reason for concern. People are escaping, attempting to escape, and they are punished for it, some are even fined $5,000 AUD. The reports on the quarantine camps, and testimonies from those who were kept there are very different. We need to listen to the testimonies, and we need to take this seriously.
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