Rioting asylum seekers in Australia protesting on roof tops

Angry asylum seekers who set up Syndney’s Villawood Detention Centre on fire on Wednesday night, are now protesting on roof tops, following Australian authorities denying some of their requests for refuge.

22 April 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

Australian news media report that the Villawood centre erupted in a riot involving up to 100 detainees, leaving nine buildings gutted by fire. A Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) spokeswoman said while a small number of detainees remained on a rooftop at the centre, there were no further reports of disturbances.

“We can report that the centre has been calm throughout the night,” an Australian journalist said. She added that early today, 22 “people of interest” had been removed from Villawood and taken to Silverwater Correctional Centre.

“No one had been arrested or charged at this stage,” she said.

Immigration officials said no one was injured in the incident, but it marks one of the most serious eruptions of unrest among asylum-seekers in Australia.