Tens of thousands of people rally in cities and towns across Australia to show their support for the Palestine Action cause, days after famine was declared in Gaza for the first time.
The protests, which took place in over 40 cities and towns, were described as the largest pro-Palestine demonstrations in Australia’s history.
In Brisbane, rally organizers estimated that at least 50,000 people gathered for the protest, which was described as “historic”. Queensland police, however, put the figure at 10,000.
Remah Naji, spokesperson for Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, told the crowd that it was “the biggest pro-Palestine rally that this city has ever seen”.
The high turnout in Brisbane could be attributed to authorities banning protesters from marching across the Story Bridge, forcing organizers to pivot and find an alternative route.
The emotions of the crowd in Brisbane vacillated between enthusiasm and hope to despair and outrage.
Magdalene Parkes, a physician at the Princess Alexandra hospital, said she simply could not stand to “see any more photos of children starving”. “There is hope but there is also an element of sadness in the air as well,” she said.
“A sense of grief that we still have to be out here.” Zubeida, 55, an “ex-South African” of Indian heritage, said the turnout in Brisbane was “heartwarming”. “We come from an apartheid regime, so we understand what apartheid is,” she said. “It is heartwarming to see so many people give up their Sunday afternoon to give voice to justice”.
In Melbourne, organizers said 100,000 people marched, while Victoria police estimated the figure to be around 10,000.
In Sydney, rally organizers put the crowd at 100,000, with New South Wales police yet to release their figure. The protests were backed by more than 250 community organizations and unions, including the Victorian Trades Hall Council, Unions NSW, Hunter Workers, Unions WA, and South Coast Labour Council.
Greens leader Larissa Waters attended the Brisbane rally and estimated it was the “biggest gathering since those against the Iraq war”. “I think it is a real show of sentiment by ordinary people that they know our government should be doing more and they want them to be doing more,” she said.
Independent Senator for the ACT David Pocock addressed a crowd of around 2,000 people in Civic Square, Canberra, saying, “As a middle power, we can and must be doing more. People care deeply, and they want a government that’s actually going to listen and then act”.
Jawad Al Maj, who came to Australia as a refugee from Iran, attended the Brisbane rally with his family. “The difference between my kids and those kids in Palestine is geography. It’s luck,” he said. “It could have been my kids being blown up while Australia is silent. If I were in that situation I’d hope that people would speak up for me. So I’m speaking up”.
The protests come days after the United Nations confirmed famine in parts of the Gaza Strip for the first time, as Israel prepares for a military takeover of the entire city.
More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, mostly women, children, and elderly people, since the war started after Hamas killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages at an Israeli music festival on October 7, 2023.