Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Naarm/Melbourne and Gadi/Sydney for the fifth week in a row on November 12 to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
Protests were also held November 10-12 in the Blue Mountains, Boorloo/Perth, on Ngarluma Country in Karratha, Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide Garramilla/Darwin and Gimuy/Cairns.
Free Palestine Melbourne estimated more than 100,000 people marched from the State Library to Treasury Gardens. A number of Muslim organisations organised the Gadi rally with Palestine Action Group, drawing more than 60,000 people who marched from Hyde Park around the CBD.
In Naarm, Dr Euginia Flynn from Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance, Palestinian writer and academic Micaela Sahhar, feminist author Clementine Ford, Victorian Greens MP Samantha Shantini Ratnam, Dr Margaret Beavis, Vice President of Medical Association for Prevention of War, Sue Bolton, Socialist Alliance Councillor for Merri-bek and Palestinian-Australian Hash Tayeh, owner of Burgertory which was recently burned down in a suspected anti-Palestinian hate crime addressed the rally.
In Gadi/Sydney, an estimated 60,000 marched through the streets demonstrating — for the sixth week in a row. The crowd demanded: “Ceasefire now!”
At the rally preceding the march, Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi called on the Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to change his government’s shameful position of supporting Israel's genocide. Palestine was a “litmus test for morality, for human rights and for social justice”, she said, which Labor and the Liberals had failed.
“Prime Minister Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, you don’t have to wait for your puppet master, the US, to call for a ceasefire before you do,” she said to a roaring crowd.
Representatives from several Muslim organisations also spoke.
Protesters in Naarm and Gadi demanded the Labor government stop supporting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians, chanting” “Albanese, can’t you see? Israel’s on a killing spree!”, “Ceasefire Now!” and “Gaza, Gaza, don't you cry, Palestine will never die!”.
Many young families, marching with their children and babies in strollers, held signs saying: “Israel, stop killing babies”.
A large banner listed the names of thousands of children who have been killed in Gaza.
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It is becoming clear that the Anthony Albanese Labor government is losing the battle for hearts and minds over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
[Mass demonstrations have been called for November 19, 1pm beginning at Hyde Park North, Gadi/Sydney and in Naarm at 12noon at the State Library. Check Green Left to find more solidarity events.]