Chants of “Free Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea” were heard around Sydney Town Hall on August 13, where more than 100 protesters stood in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The rally condemned Israel’s latest attack on Gaza and its killing of at least 46 people, including 16 children. It also highlighted the continuing oppression of Palestinians who have endured more than 70 years of brutal occultation by the apartheid Israeli regime. The rally was organised by the Palestine Action Group.
Western imperialist countries like the United States and Australia fully support Israel, despite the atrocities it has committed.
The rally heard from Rand Khatib, from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, who described the situation as a “battle between neck and sword”.
Jasmine, from Students for Palestine, said Gaza has become an “open air prison”. She said medical supplies, food and fuel has been blocked from entering Palestine by Israeli forces.
Fahad Ali, who co-organised the boycott of the Sydney Festival after it accepted sponsorship from the Israeli Embassy, read out the names of the 16 children killed by Israel’s latest attack, asking: “What greater crime can there be than the murder of innocents?”
However, Ali said there is hope because the “pro-Israel consensus is beginning to collapse”, despite millions spent on PR and whitewashing.
Read the article by Isaac Nellist in Green Left.