Sydney pro-Palestine protests to plough ahead until ‘demands’ are met

Sydney’s pro-Palestine protesters have vowed to march indefinitely until their ‘demands’ are met, despite Sunday’s ceasefire, as thousands of activists marched again on the city’s CBD.

Pro-Palestine protesters march through the Sydney CBD on Sunday despite the ceasefire in Gaza. Picture: Simon Bullard.

Sydney’s pro-Palestine protesters have vowed to march indefinitely until their “eight demands” are met, as anti-Israel activists in Melbourne split over the future of their rallies in the wake of the ceasefire.

In the Victorian capital, organisers of the weekly pro-Palestine protests have split, with Burger­tory boss Hash Tayeh and others pulling out after this week.

The Australian revealed on Sunday that organisers had a private meeting on Saturday to discuss the continuation of weekly protests following a blowback from Victoria’s peak business lobby, which says families have been discouraged from venturing into the CBD in recent times.

It is understood a number of high-profile activists will cease to attend weekly protests from next week, a move that came as a ­surprise for supporters of the movement.

Among them is Mr Tayeh of the Liberation Crew, who will stop attending protests from next week as he shifts his focus to “advocacy, rebuilding, and accountability” efforts both locally and internationally.

Hardline activist Ihab Alazhari of the “Sit-Intifada” will also cease to attend the weekly protests from next week.

Mr Alzhari and his son, Ibrahim, have been embroiled in controversy after this masthead revealed the family steel manufacturing business was engaged in large government and private-sector projects that operate in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

In Sydney, pro-Palestine marches have been held for 67 consecutive weeks, organised by the Palestine Action Group.

Despite calls by Jewish and political leaders for activists to abandon their protests given the ceasefire, and Anthony Albanese calling on them to help “lower the temperature”, protesters said they would continue until their “demands” were met.

“A ceasefire deal was finally reached and there was relief for the people of Gaza but our fight is not over,” Palestine Action Group Sydney organiser Amal Naser said, telling protesters on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and outgoing US President Joe Biden should be “sent to The Hague”.

“The Zionist entity continues to have a grasp on our lands and I fear the bloodshed and the oppression is nowhere near its end,” she said.

Sydney organisers have said they will continue to march until their demands are met. Picture: Simon Bullard

“We must recoup and remember what we are fighting against and continue the struggle to free the Palestinian people.”

On Sunday, the group issued its “eight demands” that had to be fulfilled if it were to stop protesting in Sydney.

They include: a permanent ceasefire; “accountability and justice” for what it alleged was genocide; the Australian government to join others in sending “large sums” for Gaza’s reconstruction; a halt to what the group called “ethnic cleansing” of the West Bank; the release of all Palestinian prisoners; self-determination for Palestinians; the federal government to “stop arming Israel”; and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

Sunday’s Sydney rally, which started at Hyde Park, featured the regular chants of “from the river to the sea”, which Jewish leaders say is a call for Israel’s destruction, and stalls selling Palestine merchandise manned by Greens staffers.

Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi claimed that the media, government and opposition had tried to “shut down” protests with “gaslighting” and unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism.

Victoria’s peak business chamber has said the Melbourne protests did little to help the situation in the Middle East and scared off families from coming to the CBD, which had hurt local businesses.