Melbourne Pro-Palestine protest slammed by Premier Jacinta Allan
Pro-Israel rally attendees have revealed their deep concern over the threat to Jewish existence, as one demonstrator claimed he “can’t go out in the city anymore”.
Victoria
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A large pro-Palestine rally concluded outside Flinders Street station after making its way through Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday.
Around 7000 demonstrators swarmed the city and closed down multiple blocks on the eve of the one year anniversary of the October 7 attacks and the start of the war in Gaza.
Hamas terrorists killed 1195 people in a brutal assault on Israel nearly a year ago today.
Israel has killed over 41,000 people in Gaza in response.
Sunday’s rally, which was largely peaceful, went ahead despite warnings from police and politicians regarding the sensitivity of the date.
Four people were arrested for public order related matters.
“Overall, police were pleased with the behaviour of attendees,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
“There were no displays of prohibited symbols.”
PRO-PALESTINE PROTEST ORGANISERS PRAISE ATTENDEES
Following the rally through the city streets, the intersection of Flinders St and Swanston St was shut down as protesters gathered to listen to rally organisers address them from the steps of the station.
“We stood defiant,” Palestinian woman Mai Saif shouted over a megaphone to those who had arrived at the procession’s end point.
A Palestinian man who had five family members killed by Israeli forces in Gaza spoke to the rally attendees.
“Enough is enough,” he cried.
“Stop the killing.”
Melbourne councillor and mayoral hopeful Jamal Hakim told the assembled masses he was proud of them for attending the rally.
“You’ve come here and as a group, you have stood up for humanity,” he said.
“This protest, I am so proud of every single person who’s come here, because you have come to acknowledge and you have stood up against war.
“Palestine is an issue that has brought us together, it is about humanity… because if we allow Palestine to continue like this, what’s next?”
Mr Hakim ended his speech with a cry of “get the b*stards out” which was received with huge cheers from protesters.
Musician and rapper Mudrat, performed for the crowd before they began marching back to the State Library.
“The prime minister I voted for is a f---ing p---y,” was among the early lyrical highlights.
The song went on to ask, “how can I find peace when there’s kids getting shelled in the Middle East?”
One protester held up a banner with an Israeli flag mocked-up in the style of a swastika.
“The irony of becoming what you once hated,” the banner read.
While the vast majority of the protest proceeded peacefully there were flare ups outside the station between some Palestinian marchers and a small group of people dressed in “I Stand With Israel” t shirts.
One man accused the pro-Israel crowd of supporting gang rape and child murder.
Event organiser Nasser Mashni was clearly frustrated, arriving on the scene and imploring those on the Palestinian side to “let them (the pro-Israel crowd) go”.
“This isn’t helping,” Mr Mashni said.
‘CLOSING THE CITY’: PRO-PALESTINE PROTESTERS SWARM CBD
The rally began outside the State Library at 12pm with a small group of protesters playing drums and chanting.
“All Zionists are terrorists,” and “from the river to the sea,” were among the chants.
Ms Saif was the first to speak.
She decried Israel as, “a settler colonial project that is built on a Zionist ideology”.
“Our (Palestinian) fight for liberation free from persecution and oppression… our fight to be treated as human like every person here is being racistly scapegoated.
“We are fighting for peace,” she said.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe received a rapturous reception from the crowd when she took to the microphone.
Ms Thorpe drew parallels between the plight of Aboriginal people and Palestinians.
“Genocide (has been happening) in this country for over 200 years,” she said.
“It’s slow and sophisticated, but it’s still happening, and we are a testament to our resistance, our warriors, our survival and our continued protests for the last 200 years against this colonial oppressive regime that is also complicit in the genocide in Palestine.”
Australian Palestine Advocacy Network President Nasser Mashni described the rally as a “movement of love” and urged the crowd not to let “agitators” provoke them.
“There are a lot of agitators about that are seeking to make this about them,” Mr Mashni said.
“Ignore them.
“We are a movement of love, a movement of inclusion, a movement of belonging, a movement for everyone, because we’re all equal,” he said.
Adel Salman, Islamic Council of Victoria President, sarcastically thanked politicians who had criticised the event for drawing attention to the rally.
“I’d like to acknowledge our political leaders, from the PM to the Premier to the racist Opposition Leader, for promoting our protests,” he said.
“My question is, is it free publicity, or are they coming from our tax dollars?”
Thousands of people had gathered outside the State Library by about 12.15pm and activists had placed kites on the lawn of the State Library, one for every child killed in Gaza.
Mr Mashni said “we’re closing the city today” as the crowd of thousands marched to Flinders Street station.
The protesters joined in a loud chant of “there’s no shopping while bombs are dropping”.
Accompanied by a soundtrack of constant drumming, protesters chanted refrains such as “free free Palestine” and “out out Israel out”.
A banner at the front of the march said “sanction apartheid Israel” while another read “smash the occupation”.
Multiple city blocks were closed due to the size of the rally.
The rally went ahead despite Premier Jacinta Allan on Sunday labelling the protest as “deeply inappropriate”.
“It’s critically important to re-emphasise that October 7 is not a day to protest, it’s not a day to add to the deep grief and trauma that is being experienced by so many in our community. It is deeply inappropriate,” she said on Sunday.
“That day represents the single biggest loss of life on a single given day of the Jewish community since the Holocaust.
“October 7 is a day that we should be coming together and making that ongoing call for peace, not protest.”
Asked about protesters carrying Hezbollah flags, Ms Allan said Victoria Police would work with their federal counterparts to take action against anyone who showed support for a terrorist organisation.
Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organisation under federal law in 2021.
Ms Allan confirmed she would be attending a Jewish vigil on Monday to commemorate the October 7 atrocities.
Similar marches and rallies have been held every Sunday since October 7, 2023.
JEWISH COMMUNITY ‘THREATENED’ BY WEEKLY PRO-PALESTINE PROTESTS
A large pro-Israel crowd also gathered from midday on Sunday on the southside of Sandridge Bridge in Southbank to commemorate October 7.
Before speeches began, large signs were unfurled on a stage.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran and IRGC killed 1,500 civilians in three days, yet Australian government doesn’t officially recognise them as a terrorist organisation,” one stated.
Others listed names and pictures of the hostages taken by Hamas, stating “Bring Them Home”.
Singer Joshua Batten sang John Farnham’s You’re the Voice as protesters held up images of hostages.
Michael Drenbus, the son of Holocaust survivors, expressed deep concern over the threat to Jewish existence.
“The feeling of our existence being threatened is visceral, and we feel it deeply, and we feel the world is becoming very dangerous for Jewish survival,” he told the Herald Sun.
“That’s why I’m here.”
He said the Jewish community had felt threatened by pro-Palestine demonstrations which have become a weekly occurrence in Melbourne’s CBD.
“I think there’s not enough protection for us,” he said.
“I think we should be marching equally with anybody else, and have rights to access all the places in Melbourne.
“We love our country, our country has loved us, and we’re starting to feel maybe we don’t belong.”
Former Liberal MP Tim Wilson took to the stage, saying he had been a proud Zionist all his life.
“We are here because we must be here to reclaim our streets, to stand up for what is right, and we will not go until all of the hostages are brought home,” he said.
He said one of his proudest moments during his time in parliament was to list Hamas and Hezbollah as a terrorist organisations.
Deputy Victorian Liberal leader David Southwick, who is Jewish, received raucous applause when he denounced those who planned to “celebrate Hamas” by marching on October 7.
“Shame on you,” he told the crowd.
Mr Southwick said the Jewish community had been forced to hide in their homes from those that wanted to “rewrite history” and target Jews.
“There are probably 1000 here,” he said.
“Probably ten (or) twenty thousand Jews would want to be here, but they don’t feel safe coming here, and that is a blight on our community, that is a blight on the government that is not enabled to keep us safe,” he said.
He called for the 101 surviving hostages to be returned alive.
Mark, who did not want to use his last time, said he had previously been targeted by pro-Palestine protesters.
“I can’t go out in the city anymore,” he told the Herald Sun.
“We’re a law abiding, honourable community, and we want our rights in the city, and that’s what today was about, as well as wanting 101 hostages, including children, babies home.”
A young woman walked past the pro-Israel rally and yelled “free Palestine” before she was grabbed by a police officer.
The woman also gave the finger to the crowd.
After arguing with police who accused her of threatening the crowd, the woman was handcuffed and led away.
“Why am I under arrest?” she said.
The woman’s bag was searched by police and her details recorded before she was released.
Earlier, three pro-Palestine protesters briefly interrupted the gathering but were quickly moved on by police.
The event finished with the Australian anthem just before 2pm.
An event organiser told the crowd to put away their Israeli flags and they would be escorted by police to the train station.
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