Hundreds of students march through Melbourne’s CBD in School Strike for Palestine rally

Hundreds of Victorian school and university students have attended the School Strike for Palestine rally in the city — aiming to “disrupt businesses” and “wreak havoc” in the CBD on Thursday.

Hundreds of Victorian school and university students gathered at Flinders Street Station on Thursday for a School Strike for Palestine rally.

Students organising the rally, which began at Flinders St station on Thursday at 1.30pm, have vowed to “disrupt business as usual in the CBD and wreak havoc” on several social media posts.

Pupils, who are wearing school uniforms and holding placards, have taken to Melbourne’s CBD calling for an end to the war in Gaza.

The placards say: “Free Palestine” and “Your silence is violence”.

A heavy police presence has surrounded the crowd, with officers patrolling the area.

Year 11 high school student Gisele said children had been slaughtered in Gaza.

“This is a genocide” she shouted.

Another student, Artemis, said universities had partnerships with weapon manufacturers.

“Albanese, blood on your hands,” he shouted.

Hundreds of Victorian school and university students have gathered on Thursday at Flinders St station for the School Strike for Palestine rally.

A look at some of the signs students are holding in the city.

It comes after school students marched through Melbourne’s CBD last month for another rally, with pupils turning up wearing traditional Palestinian chequered scarfs.

Ivy Bergman, 16, who is involved in the rally, said: “The atrocities in Palestine are only escalating after the so-called ceasefire, we refuse to let things return to normal in our city.”

“We will be disrupting the status quo, shutting down roads and businesses during our strike,” Ms Bergman said.

“We are a nonviolent movement and encourage all supporters to join us,” she added.

But Jewish leaders have condemned the protests, saying the second student strike was an “explicit attempt” to escalate innocent schoolchildren into increasingly “radical and illegal actions” by encouraging disruption and havoc in Melbourne’s CBD.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said: “Holding this protest at the same time and place as the more radical university student protest is a deliberate strategy which places Victorian schoolchildren in harm’s way.”

“The lack of any legal consequences for increasingly intimidatory and violent tactics by anti-Semitic activists is serving to embolden bad actors and is destroying social cohesion across Victoria,” Mr Leibler said.

The students are chanting: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.@[e-mail]/BKbqGDQroT

— Suzan Delibasic (@suzandelibasic) December 7, 2023

“The dangerous and intimidatory nature of the dual university and school protests confronts the Jewish community as they head into the first day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

“We call for immediate government action, police enforcement and legal consequences for any threats of, or use of, violence and intimidation against the Jewish community.”

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dr Dvir Abramovich said: “It’s clear that all bets are off when it comes to weaponising, manipulating and exploiting kids in order to spread the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel agenda.”

“Such events, drawn straight out of the radical’s playbooks, are putting Jewish students in danger because when those who attended this demonstration return to school,” he said.

Opposition spokeswoman for education Jess Wilson said it was troubling to see political activists bring politics into the classroom.

She also described the protest signs and wearing of the kippah — which is a religious item worn by jews — at such events as “anti-Semitic propaganda”.

“Conflating it with the conflict in the Middle East is exactly why students should be learning about the complex conflict in the classroom, and not from activists and placards in the streets,” she said.

“These events only lead to further division and harm at an already challenging time.

“The best place for Victorian students to learn about complex geopolitical affairs and engage in a productive and respectful contest of ideas is in the classroom, not on the street.”