About 100 protesters gathered in Brisbane Square on March 18 to protest the repression of pro-democracy protesters in the Gulf nation of Bahrain.
Rallygoers chanted “Freedom for Bahrain! Stop the Saudi Arabian invasion.
Yunes Ali, a representative of the Bahraini community in Brisbane, welcomed the support from all who attended the rally, and declared that the democracy movement in Bahrain could not be divided into religious categories. “No Shiites, no Sunnis. Only Bahrain,” he said.
Another speaker condemned the invasion of Bahrain by forces of the Saudi Arabian monarchy to help attack the people, who were merely demonstrating peacefully for their rights, and against the rule of King Hamad. "We call on the Australian government to condemn the government of Saudi Arabia for occupying our country,” the speaker said.
“What is happening in Bahrain is merely that people are demonstrating peacefully for their legitimate rights -- freedom of speech and human dignity.”
Kathy Newnam from Justice for Palestine expressed the solidarity of Palestinian supporters with the people of Bahrain.
“No more support by the US, European and Australian governments for dictatorships in the Middle East,” she said.
During a lively march that followed the rally, protesters chanted against the hypocrisy of Western governments over the Middle East. “Bahrain is bleeding. UN, UN, where are you?”