Between 2013 and 2019, Australian authorities issued posters with “pessimistic” horoscopes in Sri Lanka,where the population is highly sensitive to astrology. The aim was to discourage the country’s smugglers and applicants for immigration and asylum in Australia,says BuzzFeed, who obtained the visual. The site used certain passages in the horoscope to determine which country was targeted by this campaign.
In addition to the unwelred forecasts, the publication provides some factual information. “It has been almost four years since anyone from Sri Lanka reached Australia after an illegal boat trip. During this period, the Australian authorities stopped and turned back on more than 160 Sri Lankans who were trying to enter the country illegally by boat,” the poster reads. Smugglers are also accused of being “only interested in your money and not by future voting.”
‘Bad luck’ and ‘shame’ for bulls
Australia has spent millions of dollars in recent years to launch deterrent communication campaigns in countries whose populations are likely to be tempted by immigration. Videos, comics and social media messages with dark content were used.
The astrological forecasts on the poster are similar. The bulls are promised “bad luck,” “shame” and “humiliation of failure in your community” after being turned away from Australia. Sagittarius should expect to be “indebted forever” and capricorns to “risk their lives”. “Family problems” and “trouble with justice” are mentioned for the other signs. They are told, among other things, that they will “be consumed by regret” and lose “jewelry” or “land” of their family.
