Jewish Council of Australia member Ohad Kozminsky said there was no justification for “criminal human rights breaches” of Palestinians, and Israel’s actions had been “shielded shamefully by weaponised charges of antisemitism”.
“I have been attending these rallies for a year now. Together, we have called for a ceasefire, an end to occupation, and end to ethnic cleansing, an end to genocide, and we have called for a free Palestine,” he said.
Melbourne councillor and lord mayoral candidate Jamal Hakim later told the crowd he would protect protest rights, as NSW Police sought to shut down events in Sydney. “Melbourne is a city for all,” he said.
The event was held as the conflict deepens and the death toll rises in the Middle East. One year since militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1100 and taking about 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliation has killed more than 41,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. This week, Israel launched a ground invasion and bombing campaign in Lebanon, killing thousands and displacing more than one million people, while Iran launched more than 180 missiles at Israel.
Lebanese-Palestinian woman Hanady, who declined to share her surname, held a Lebanese flag as she marched down Swanston Street. She said: “I’m not here for any institution or body. I’m here for the citizens of my country and my people.”
Another group of protesters held yellow and green flags, colours associated with Hezbollah, while some Sydney protesters used images of Ned Kelly in flags that mimicked the Hezbollah design.
Federal legislation prohibits images linked to terror groups with the aim of inciting violence or hatred. The Australian Federal Police has established a taskforce to investigate whether displaying the Hezbollah flag breached these laws.
Protester Ahmad, who held a green and yellow flag and did not want to share his surname, was asked whether it was an attempt to avoid rules against terror symbols. “They make the laws, and we haven’t broken any. Yellow and green is the colour of Islam…and the colours of peace.”
Protester Jasmine Duff, a Deakin University student who was in the Students For Palestine group that organised campus protests this year, said university management had disciplined and targeted students for their activism, but they would not stop.
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“When you stand against the powerful, the powerful always try to stop you – generations of young people have endured the same.”
Protesters interviewed by this masthead said they wanted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to be more proactive in ending the war by pushing for a ceasefire, cutting diplomatic ties with Israel and applying economic sanctions.
“I’ve been a lifelong Labor supporter,” said protester Kit, who did not want to share her surname, but said she would no longer vote Labor. “The hypocrisy of the Australian government is shameful.”
Melbourne resident Erin Tsubono said: “I’m here because I’m human. I care about justice.”
This was echoed by another protester, Lee, who did not want to share their surname, but said they’ve attended around a third of all protests, which have been held weekly for the past year. “I’m here just because I’m human. The killing has to stop.”
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