Both Sydney and Melbourne had large marches over the weekend in support of Palestinians suffering in, Israel’s genocide and the Premiers of both states were bitterly opposed to the march routes.
Sydney organisers planned to march across the globally iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge to which the NSW Premier said, “We cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos”.
The Bridge closes every year for a half marathon, new years eve fireworks and for other events such as Pride, movie shoots and the Big Lunch.
March organisers in Sydney expected a crowd of about 10,000 and NSW Police following the objections of NSW Premier, Chris Minns rejected the application for the rally.
The protest would not be illegal, but participants wouldn’t enjoy immunity from some possible charges such as obstructing traffic.
The rally organisers declared the march would go ahead anyway, so police asked the NSW Supreme Court to prohibit the rally.
Police lost in court and the rally went ahead with well over 150,000 people marching across the iconic bridge in the pouring rain.
Down south in Melbourne, the organisers of the weekly ‘free Palestine’ rallies decided to show solidarity with, Sydney and announced their weekly march would go across the King Street Bridge.
It was a symbolic gesture from people who haven’t stopped marching since, Netanyahu began Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Police said blocking the bridge would disrupt traffic and could hinder emergency vehicles. There are two nearby bridges and both are within around 300 metres.
The Melbourne ‘free Palestine’ rally has marched across bridges many times, including during the recent (Yarra) River to the Sea (St Kilda beach) rally.
At every Melbourne rally I’ve been to and I’ve been to over forty since 2023, if an emergency vehicle with it’s lights on approaches the rally, marshals quickly clear a path for it to pass.
Police claimed they had “intelligence” protestors planned violence. I’ve never seen violence from Melbourne’s free Palestine protestors.
Recently, the Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan labelled weekly anti-genocide marchers, many of who are families with children, toddlers and babies in prams, as “extremists”.
The Premiers of both states are strong supporters of Israel despite their horrific war crimes and oppose the ongoing Sydney and Melbourne anti-genocide rallies. Neither are friends of Palestine or Australian Palestinians.
Both state capitals have seen a spate of so-called terror attacks, contracted by a yet unknown foreign entity, that politicians (and media) have labelled anti-Semitic attacks and have used or are using to create anti-protest laws.
The crimes have been committed by low level criminals who have no interest in politics or global affairs. Many people believe the attacks are false flag events and Mossad is behind them.
Allan’s government will soon table legislation in the Victorian Parliament that would criminalise protestors under the guise of ‘combating extremism’.
Meanwhile attacks against Australian Palestinians and their supporters, which includes arson attacks on businesses, homes and even a car bomb, have gone unpunished or token charges laid and receive little to no media coverage.
In Melbourne the rally started normally at, State Library Victoria where people gathered at midday and a group of around five Zionists took up their usual position across the road, to counter-protest those protesting against genocide.
Police unsuccessfully tried to stop “death death to the IDF” placards being distributed.
A crowd of between 20,000 to 25,000 had gathered by the time a GoPro wearing member of the National Socialist Network (a neo-Nazi group), in solidarity with Zionists, violently launched himself into the crowd assaulting protestors.
Pro-Palestinian protestors restrained the man and moved him towards police who arrested him.
Such incidents are not uncommon and are almost always instigated by Zionists, neo-Nazis or other flavours of far right fascists. Neo-Nazis supported a Zionist rally outside the Victorian Parliament last year.
In July a Zionist who was abusing a protestor handing out leaflets about what’s happening in Palestine, insisted I required her permission to take photos and tried to rip my camera out of my hands. Police detained and a spoke to the woman.
The Melbourne March for Humanity got underway and chanting protestors announced their presence by banging on pots, pans and drums as they marched down Swanston St on their way to the King St Bridge.
Before long, another Zionist was abusing a woman for marching against Israel’s Gaza Genocide.
During the march, I met a young boy from Gaza who was severely injured on 9 January, 2024 when an Israeli F-35 fighter jet bombed his house, collapsing the roof of the building on him and his family leaving all of them with shrapnel wounds.
The young boy spent the next four months in Gaza unable to move and he was eventually transferred to Egypt for treatment. The decimated Palestinian health system was unable to provide treatment.
The Egyptians offered what treatment they could, but requiring more surgery the boy was transferred to Australia. The father and son came to Australia, the mother and daughters remained in Egypt.
The Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association sponsored the boy and a generous Australian donor provided the funds for the surgery. The surgeon took no fee.
The boy’s treatment, beyond physiotherapy, has concluded and a piece of shrapnel remains embedded in his spine because it’s too dangerous to remove. The child is left with nerve damage resulting in a leg that barely works.
The mother was hit in the chest and survived. Her unborn baby did not and the mother spent a month with the dead foetus inside her body waiting for a transfer to, Egypt for surgery that Gaza’s intentionally destroyed health system couldn’t provide.
The family has been left with permanent injuries and severe psychological trauma with little hope of receiving adequate long-term care. Experts say almost everyone in Gaza is suffering from severe psychological trauma.
When anti-genocide protestors arrived at the King St Bridge, they were met by the riot squad ready for combat, police on horses, a large number of additional police and transport vans all behind large and heavy barriers.
March organisers eventually turned the rally around and marched back to State Library Victoria.
In order to stop disruption on the bridge for an hour or so, police blockaded the bridge for most of the day. Plainly, it wasn’t about disruption to the operation of the bridge.
Jacinta Allan is on a unity ticket with violent neo-Nazis and aggressive genocidal Zionists and set the riot squad against families protesting against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
That’s extremism.
The young Palestinian boy flew back to Egypt on Monday to be reunited with his sisters and mother, who will soon give birth to a new baby.
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