Refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi, who spent the past two months detained in a Bangkok prison thanks to an extradition request by the Bahraini government, arrived back home to Australia this morning to raucous cheers, flashing cameras, and even a little Broadway magic.
Crowds of supporters flocked to Melbourne Airport to welcome Araibi, who only a week ago had feared potential torture should he be returned to the country he fled seeking asylum years ago.
Incredible to see #HakeemAlAraibi’s supporters waiting for the moment he comes out. #HakeemSaved pic.twitter.com/HovNkiaAVH
— Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei (@SAlwadaei) February 12, 2019
In a video published on Amnesty International Australia’s Facebook page, a woman can be heard directing the crowd to “give him some space” and “move back” before the throng welcoming him home breaks into an impromptu version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic You’ll Never Walk Alone (yes, the same guys who wrote The Sound of Music, South Pacific and Oklahoma).
Will leave you to decide if it was a musical theater major or a Liverpool football fan responsible.
Some supporters came baring posters.
We’re so thankful for the work of @gulfidhr for their incredible work in helping #SaveHakeem Great they are to welcome him home pic.twitter.com/bdthznTaDf
— Amnesty International Australia 🕯 (@amnestyOz) February 12, 2019
Just seconds away from bringing our boy back into his new neighbourhood. Say it loud. Say it clear. Welcome home Hakeem. #HakeemSaved @amnestyOz pic.twitter.com/KKSTJwQHJq
— Shankar Kasynathan (@Shankabout) February 12, 2019
Others made shirts.
At the amazing #hakeemsaved welcome at Melbourne airport. Running into old friends from @unionsaustralia & @amnestyOz pic.twitter.com/k1KWOWFqaM
— ariadne vromen (@ariadne_syd) February 12, 2019
Online, netizens who were finally able to switch their #SaveHakeem hashtags to#HakeemSaved, heaped praise on the international effort that had ratcheted up the pressure to see Araibi returned to the country that had granted him asylum.
Thank you to all our friends in Thailand, Bahrain and elsewhere who bravely stood up for human rights and freedom. Thank you for sharing with us the struggles you face.
“No one is free until we are all free.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.#HakeemSaved #HakeemHome #Hakeem pic.twitter.com/eEEv05ACe0— RKO (@RKO94791865) February 12, 2019
Yay! #HakeemAlAraibi is coming home. Congratulations all the pressure people pic.twitter.com/GsxgpBNZud
— Eliza Metcalfe (@MetcalfeEliza) February 11, 2019
“I want to thank Australia,” Araibi said as he addressed the crowd at the airport. “It’s amazing to see all of the people here and all of the Australian people and all of the media who supported me… I love Australia.”
“It’s amazing to see all of the people here and all of the Australian people and all of the media who supported me,” #HakeemAlaraibi https://t.co/nWFeSV2yLs#HakeemSaved pic.twitter.com/39POCgTiIi
— Nabeel Rajab (@NABEELRAJAB) February 12, 2019
Craig Foster, the former Australian footballer and refugee ambassador who had been leading the campaign for Alarabi’s release, was also on hand for the homecoming.
“So this is the man, probably the most famous young man in Australia right now,” Foster said. “Something of this magnitude doesn’t happen without an incredible team behind, and there’s been an amazing coalition of people, right from around the world.”
Araibi, a former Bahraini national youth team player, was granted refugee status in Australia after fleeing charges in the oil-rich kingdom connected to Arab Spring protests.
But after having lived in Australia for about five years, the footballer was stopped in Thailand in November while on his honeymoon.
The Australian government had repeatedly called for Araibi’s return and the case quickly became a cause célèbre in the football world, with FIFA also urging the Thai premier to intervene.
STATEMENT: @FIFPro is delighted that Hakeem al-Araibi is heading home to Australia. We salute the tireless campaigning of @Craig_Foster, @thepfa, and scores of football players who helped raise awareness about his wrongful detention. #SaveHakeem #HakeemSaved pic.twitter.com/2DnW2XL2a7
— FIFPro (@FIFPro) February 11, 2019
Football Federation Australia (FFA) last week cancelled plans for the under-23 men’s national team to hold its training camp in Thailand ahead of the AFC U23 Championship qualifiers next month.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had also repeatedly pushed for Araibi’s release, saying he had written letters to his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-O-Cha stressing “how strongly Australians feel about this.”
Though undoubtedly a human rights victory, Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, today reminded citizens that the fight is not over for everyone.
While we note this victory, me must also pay tribute to all imprisoned people and torture victims in Bahrain’s prisons, and should continue to work to secure their freedom as well.#HakeemSaved
— Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei (@SAlwadaei) February 12, 2019
Additional Reporting by AFP
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