Pictures: Protesters rally in Geelong to support Palestine
A number of passionate advocates have rallied to support Palestine in Geelong.
Geelong
Don't miss out on the headlines from Geelong. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Geelong locals have shown their support at a Free Palestine rally in Little Malop St, just weeks after the landmark International Court of Justice ruling found it plausible that Israel’s acts could amount to genocide.
As part of the ruling, the United Nations, issued six provisional measures, ordering Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocidal acts.
Hundreds people attended the rally on Saturday, which included a number of guest speakers, including Geelong local Dr Naseer Duhair.
Dr Duhair was born in the Gaza Strip and has been living in Geelong for the past eight years, working across multiple hospitals in Victoria.
“It is not easy to see your family and friends get killed, your home’s destroyed,” Dr Duhair said.
“It is not easy for us all to see this ethnic cleansing and genocidal campaign unfolding before us.
“It is heartbreaking to see children taking their last breath with no parents to comfort them.
“It’s not easy for the people of Gaza to endure months of relentless bombings,” he said.
Dr Duhair said the healthcare system in Palestine had collapsed as a result of systemic destruction.
“This is a deliberate assault on humanity. This is a violation of humanitarian law,” Dr Duhair said.
Julie Saylor Briggs, a Torres Strait Islander woman passionate about human rights said she was at the rally to support basic human rights.
“We need to free Palestine and we need to get it done,” Ms Saylor Briggs said.
“I’m here to stand with Palestine, who wouldn’t want to be here to stand with Palestine,” she said.
Jackie Kriz, a mental health nurse and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation delegate, said the rapid escalation of the rising death toll cannot be ignored by the world anymore.
“We can no longer turn a blind eye to what is going on,” Ms Kriz said.
“It is absolute slaughter. Their bodies are still under rubble, that’s why they can’t have an exact count, because bodies can’t be retrieved, it’s too dangerous.
“The egregious attacks on Palestinian healthcare workers have been going on for a long time,” she said.
According to reports from Al Jazeera on Sunday morning, the latest death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza, has reached over 28,000.
satria.dyer-darmawan@news.com.au
More Coverage
Originally published as Pictures: Protesters rally in Geelong to support Palestine
Carjacker who slashed good Samaritan with knife learns fate
A carjacker who attacked a good Samaritan with a large kitchen knife has learned his fate, with his complex psychological history playing an integral role.
TikTok moves to ban shameful Geelong school accounts
A social media giant has moved to shutdown Geelong based accounts being used to slander young students, as principals of schools caught up in the concerning trend speak out.