Video: Thousands march for JUSTICE for Palestine. Green Left.
Tens of thousands have protested around Australia to commemorate the Nakba, the Catastrophe, when Israel began its ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people in 1948.
The rallies also coincided with Israel's most recent genocidal attacks on Gaza and Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem.
Kicking off the weekend of action, more than 2000 people rallied in Meanjin/Brisbane on May 14 to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba and to protest Israel's current terror attacks.
Police took organisers to court to try to prevent the march, but were unsuccessful after organisers made some compromises. One of these was to stop the march in Reddacliff Place instead of King George Square. On the night, after pausing at Reddacliff, protesters returned to the streets and completed the march.
There was a strong turn-out from the Muslim community after Eid celebrations were postponed to make participation possible.
Alex Salmon reports from Perth that 400 people rallied on May 14. The protest was organised by the Western Australian Palestinian community and Friends of Palestine WA.
Jacob Andrewartha reports that thousands turned out in Melbourne.
Pip Hinman reports that more than 5000 people attended the Nakba protest in Sydney. After speeches, the march through the city was defiant and strong. Many families and young people turned out, all enthusiastically making their voices heard: "Free, free Palestine" and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" were popular chants.
Gone, it seems, are the days when the West's "war on terror" made communities feel unsafe about coming into the streets.
Niko Leka reports from Newcastle that Boycott, Divestment & Sanction (BDS) campaign material was handed out at a hastily-called action. Speakers stressed the hypocrisy of the Zionist occupation and encouraged people to join the BDS movement.
Video: Thousands march in Sydney in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Green Left.
More photos from Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne can be found on the Green Left Facebook page. See also the video and a speech (by Ali from the West Bank) from the Brisbane rally.
