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Four Protesters Arrested At 'Unauthorised' Sydney Refugee Rally

Two men will face court after being charged.
Protesters have clashed with police at a refugee rally at Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre.
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Protesters have clashed with police at a refugee rally at Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre.

Four people have been arrested following a violent clash with police at a refugee protest at Villawood Detention Centre.

Police said the "unauthorised protest" took place outside the detention centre about 3.30pm Friday and at its peak involved about 70 people.

The arrests were made at about 7.30pm when a number of protesters tried to break a line of officers across a driveway outside the facility, police said.

"Two men and two women were arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station," police said on Saturday.

The two women, aged 25 and 29, were later released for breaching the peace. An 18-year-old man was charged with assaulting police and resisting police, while a 25-year-old man was charged with assaulting police.

Police said one officer suffered a minor injury during the clash.

Refugee Advocate Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the group was protesting the impending deportation of a 60-year-old Iraqi man from Australia.

"The deportation should never have been scheduled, he should have got a proper hearing," Rintoul told Macquarie Radio.

"There was a technicality really that meant his appeal was rejected because it was out of time and people were organising to prevent what would have been a miscarriage of justice."

The asylum seeker, reportedly named Saeed, is said to have arrived in Australia in 2012, fleeing from Iraq with his brother.

The pair were members of a religious minority and said they feared persecution, according to The Guardian.

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