Thousands participated in a pro-Palestinian march in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, on Saturday, after a permit was granted at the last minute despite fears that some demonstrators at a previous event had screamed anti-Jewish chants.
After nearly two weeks of heavy air and artillery attacks, authorities in the small strip estimate that 4,100 people have been murdered, protesters throughout the world asked on Friday that Israel stop its bombing of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his country would “fight until victory” in Gaza over Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, in which the terror group killed 1,400 Israelis and took captives.
An estimated 15,000 people marched in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, on Saturday, with many shouting “Palestine will never die” and brandishing Palestinian flags. The gathering, which caused the closure of downtown streets, was patrolled by police on horseback, while a police helicopter flew overhead.
Barbara O’Neill, one of the protesters, called Palestinians “my brothers and sisters” and said, “They have been suffering genocide publicly and in a very high-profile way.”
Rally-goer People have a “right to know what’s going on with the Palestinians,” James McGlone said. They would back Palestine if they realized the truth about what Israel has done and is doing.
One demonstrator, who only identified herself as “Doaa,” said, “I’m here because this is a humanitarian cause first and foremost. And I’m always on the side of mankind.”
However, Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the leading group for Australia’s Jewish community, warned that Saturday’s Sydney event “incited more hatred in Australia” and fragmented “fragile social cohesion.”
A tiny group was filmed yelling “Gas the Jews” during a rally outside the Sydney Opera House two days after the Hamas attack, sparking heated controversy.
After thousands participated in peaceful marches for Palestine all throughout Australia last weekend, the Palestine Action Group announced that they will be holding rallies in the state capitals of Brisbane, Perth, and Hobart on Saturday.
