Former Socceroo and NSW Australian of the Year Craig “Foz” Foster has moved the nation after sharing a heartbreaking message on social media.
Taking to Twitter this week, Foster shared a direct plea from an asylum seeker identified only as Tamim, who has spent a staggering 10 years in Nauru waiting to be processed.
“Instead of spending another $420 million taxpayer dollars on Nauru, everyone should be evacuated immediately and given medical treatment,” Foster posted.
“And Nauru should be closed as a processing centre.
“A cry for help from Nauru. His name is Tamim, he’s lost 10 years, and he asked to be heard.”
Foster also shared an article from The Guardian criticising the Albanese government for reauthorising Nauru offshore immigration detention, as well as the following message from Tamim himself.
“We are tired. No interest in life. We are getting old. I want release for my life. I don’t want to die here. We need life. Freedom for life. Please help,” Tamim’s message reads.
“We came here when we were young, now we are old. I was 24 when I came, now I am 35. How do I have one life? People only have one life.
“I want to ask what is the reason? What is my crime? What have I done? What about my 10 years wasted here?
“We are in jail. Now we are hostages, there’s nothing for us to lose. We don’t have anything. We have nothing to lose.”
The prominent human rights and anti-racism activist’s post struck a chord with Aussies, who flooded the message with support, attracting tens of thousands of views, likes and comments.
“A massively disappointing decision from a Government I thought might address the cruelty asylum seekers have received from a supposedly decent country,” one Twitter user posted, with another adding: “Craig Foster makes so much sense. Nauru – no more”.
“Keeping people 10 years in detention is cruel, un-Australian and waste of taxpayers money. I am losing faith in Australian politics over this,” another wrote.
It was also shared on Reddit, where it received a similarly overwhelming response.
“It’s super easy to fix. Non-inhumane nations generally allow people awaiting determination of their refugee claim to live in the community. It’s only ‘hard’ because a hard core of racist swing voters make it politically dangerous to be humane to these poor people,” one Redditor posted.
“We all know the only way to become Australian these days is to buy your way in through overpriced education or property. Sad reality of modern day Australia. Citizenship is only open to the highest bidder,” another claimed.
The Nauru authorisation passed parliament on Tuesday this week with the support of the Coalition, despite a push from the Greens to bring people from offshore detention back to Australia.
But the move sparked plenty of backlash, including from outspoken independent senator David Pocock, who described the Nauru situation as a “massive f**k up”.
Over the years, former soccer star and commentator Craig Foster, 53, has emerged as one of the country’s leading human rights advocates.
According to the NSW Government’s 2023 Australian of the Year announcement, he “has spent the past decade campaigning for refugee rights and marginalised communities” and “promotes anti-racism, allyship and what he calls ‘active multiculturalism’ – communities protecting each other”.
Foster is also patron of Australia’s Indigenous football teams, and “works tirelessly for a better Australia including the ‘Racism. It Stops With Me’ and #RacismNotWelcome campaigns, and volunteers at the Addison Road Community Organisation and food pantry in Sydney”.