Maha Almassri is a Palestinian grandmother from the Gaza Strip who was staying with her son in Sydney, New South Wales, after fleeing Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, when one morning she was abducted by police in a pre-dawn raid and put in detention, where she remains today, with no explanation, and no recourse but detention or "self-deportation." Maha is one of several Palestinians who have been similarly abducted and detained by Australian authorities this month.
Maha Almassri
Maha Almassri grew up in the Gaza Strip
Her family was from '48, but that's where they were shipped
They went to the refugee camps, and they went elsewhere
In the Sydney suburbs you'll find them there
For generations now they've been living in Punchbowl
On this continent that long ago the British Empire stole
From the people who once lived here, so much like her home
The parts without the shelters, without the Iron Dome
Maha Almassri's son had moved away
And his children were evacuated soon after the day
The bombs began to fall again in 2023
And a few months later the grandma of the family
Followed in their footsteps and flew to New South Wales
With shocking stories of the slaughter, horrifying tales
She hoped to leave that all behind her, to start her life again
Australia gave her a visa, she flew here and then
Maha Almassri was asleep in her son’s place
When 15 police invaded their space
They gave her orders and they took her away
To keep her in detention, where she remains today
They had granted her a visa, but then they took it back
They say they investigated further, found it was character she lacked
They don’t have to tell us what she said or did
They’ve just decided to take grandma from her grandkids
Maha Almassri can forever now remain
In an Australian prison, indefinitely detained
Unless she chooses to go back to the death that waits
For all the Arab people living under the Zionist State
The same one that quite likely passed the word on down the line
To destroy another family from the land of Palestine
Which ASIO obeyed, no effort made to hide
That Australia supports Israel’s genocide
Mandy and Fabio of Frontyard Films were at our concert at the amazing Addison Road Community Center in Sydney last week. Here’s the video they took of us singing “I Support Palestine Action.” More songs from the concert coming soon…
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