Students raise funds

JOHN BISSET/Timaru Herald

CAPTURED: Roncalli students fighting for freedom (from left) Thomas Carnegie, Bridget McIlraith, Niko Elsen, Frances Pavletich, Sebastian Elsen, Lucy Macilquham (obscured) Fin Scott and in front, Julia McKeown.

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Roncalli College students had a taste of having to fight for their freedom yesterday as part of a fundraiser for Amnesty International.

The event, organised by Year 12 student Julia McKeown, was part of the Amnesty International freedom challenge and held in conjunction with freedom week which took place nationally last week.

The freedom challenge is a team challenge for Amnesty student groups in New Zealand to take action for human rights around the world.

Julia said the campaign was about shutting down repression and rebooting human rights. This year's theme was internet repression and working to end the restriction of freedom of expression on the internet.

She said it was based on Kareem Amer, who was imprisoned for blogging his thoughts on the government and journalist Shi Tao, who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 2004 for posting information on the web instructing fellow journalists how to handle media coverage of Tiananmen Square.

The Roncalli group were roped together during their lunch break and had to encourage passers by to give them money until they each raised $10 to be set free.

More than $60 was raised for Amnesty International.

- © Fairfax NZ News