Late on Friday, 7 August, Mojgan Shamsalipoor, a 21-year-old Iranian asylum seeker, was whisked away from the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation (BITA) without any warning.

She was given no opportunity to speak to her husband, her lawyer or the friends she had made in the past two years living in the community prior to being held in BITA.

Mojgan’s treatment is similar to that of thousands of other asylum seekers held in detention. The difference this time is that unions and the community have taken up her cause.

Mojgan was three months away from completing her year 12 certificate at Yeronga State High School. When students and staff heard about the situation, they acted quickly. The Queensland Teachers’ Union brought together 200 teachers, students and refugee supporters in protest outside immigration minister Peter Dutton’s ministerial office in downtown Brisbane.

The support given by the QTU highlights that fighting for refugee rights and challenging the racism of the Abbott government are union issues. Jessica Walker, a QTU representative from Yeronga SHS, helped organise the protest. She told the crowd that Mojgan had become like a daughter and sister to the school community.

Fellow year 12 student Denise Ngabo said, “Our sister has been stolen from us … We cannot ignore this injustice; she is a school student, not a criminal”.

The vice president of Yeronga Parents and Citizens, Neil Davidson, encouraged people to “Speak out and change the system!”

Another student leader, Eden Boyd, declared, “I do not want to inherit a racist and ignorant country. We will not be silenced, because ‘operational reasons’ are apparently a justified excuse for tearing someone away from their family and their education … We will not be silent until Mojgan and all other refugees are free”.

Motions of support for Mojgan have been carried from as far away as the St Albans, NSW, sub-branch of the Australian Education Union.

The outpouring of support indicates why the Abbott government is so intent on maintaining the detention regime. It is just as much about denying everyday Australians an opportunity to interact and build relationships with refugees as it is about breaking detainees’ spirits.

It is through interacting with the community – with families, friends and workers – and by the workers’ movement taking action that the casual racism sown by those in parliament can be undermined, and new bonds of solidarity and anti-racism can be forged.