Pro-Palestine protesters climb onto parliament roof

In an alarming breach of security, the protesters were able to climb onto the roof and hang anti-Israel slogans, sparking furious calls for Anthony Albanese to act | WATCH

A pro-Palestine protest that saw four people breach Parliament House security and unfurl black banners from the building’s roof was “designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society,” Peter Dutton says.

The Opposition Leader and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham wrote to Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the presiding officers of Parliament House immediately after the stunt, asking them to take “immediate and decisive action” to hold the protesters to account.

Four people were charged after they climbed on top of Parliament House and draped signs across the building declaring: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

The protesters, and a group of a few dozen on the ground, chanted: “If they don’t give us justice, they don’t get no peace”.

It is understood some climate protesters glued themselves to the marble floors in the foyer of Parliament House, directly beneath where other protesters are positioned on the roof.

The Australian witnessed the protest unfolding, with four people able to easily jump a 2.5m security fence and access the roof above the public entrance of parliament. The fence was part of a $126.7m security upgrade in 2017.

“We write with urgency regarding the alarming security breach at Parliament House earlier today,” Mr Dutton and Senator Birmingham said.

“The world has witnessed the disgraceful scenes of protestors gluing themselves to the marble foyer and pro-Palestinian protesters displaying large inflammatory and violent banners outside the front of the Australian Parliament House. This egregious violation tarnishes the reputation of this esteemed institution and disrespects its occupants.

“This is not a protest of a normal nature. This was a protest that was designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society.

“Despite significant government expenditure on upgrading the security of Parliament House, these protestors managed to gain access to the exterior of the building with apparent ease and remained there for a considerable duration.

“The opposition urgently calls upon the government and presiding officers to take immediate and decisive action to hold these protestors to account and conduct a thorough investigation into this security lapse.”

The Coalition has requested a formal statement from the presiding officers to both chambers addressing the incident and prior breaches, noting there had been two disruptions during question time in the House of Representatives.

“It is imperative that we ensure the nation’s parliament operates safely, free from the interference of those who seek to undermine our critical work,” Mr Dutton and Senator Birmingham said.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie has slammed Anthony Albanese for failing to protect the Parliament House, saying the pro-Palestine protest was a show of support for radical Hamas supporters.

‘Nation founded on genocide’

A protester on the roof of Parliament House. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

One of the protesters on the roof, a young white man, read a statement from his phone to those gathered below.

“Australia is a nation founded on genocide,” he said. “There has been a steady complicity of war crimes and genocide abroad.”

The protester said government MPs were “genocide enablers” and “subservient to the US empire”.

He said the government was selling arms to the “murderous Israeli regime”.

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham said the protesters demonstrated a scathing security breach that has sent shockwaves across MPs.

Mr Birmingham told Sky News he was bemused at the fact they were able to get there in the first place.

Extraordinary security breach. The four pro-Palestine protesters managed to jump the 2.5m fence to the right of #parliament’s public entrance, which was installed as part of a $126.7m security upgrade in 2017 #auspol#[e-mail]/A199FBbWM6

— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) July 4, 2024

Police and spectators gather on the steps below. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

“We stand for freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. But that’s got to be done in ways that don’t put other people in danger and that don’t create massive inconveniences for other Australians as well,” Mr Birmingham said.

“Plenty of Australians have found themselves stuck in hours-long traffic jams or chaos, as extremist protesters have glued themselves to roads and done other things.

Shadow Veterans’ Affairs Minister Barnaby Joyce called the protesters “contenders for the dipshit award”

“The issue is that we’ve had the desecration of the war memorials and now we have basically people managing to get through the security cordon of Parliament House,” Mr Joyce said.

“What they can do from there is get into the Queens Cafe.”

Independent MP Dai Le was also concerned about the breach in security, saying there should have been better checks in place.

Sky News political reporter Cam Reddin who was outside parliament when the protest unfolded said it was an extraordinary breach of parliament security.

“We can see that these four protesters have somehow got to the top of the very front facade of parliament, which is about 15 meters high,” Reddin said.

A protester shows his defiance. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

The protesters, reportedly members of the Renegade Activists group, were arrested after they ended their demonstration from the top of the federal Parliament House after about an hour.

The group of four, who had flanked large banners from the roof, including a Hamas symbol, had to slowly climb down the glass top above the main entrance.

During the protest, members of the public were barred from entering the main entrance of Parliament House, though passholders were still permitted access.