God bless them all – Peter
A march of pro-Palestine activists stopped traffic in Melbourne’s city centre on Sunday, waving flags and banging pots in a rally against continued Israeli airstrikes and rising starvation in Gaza.
A crowd of thousands, including young families, teachers, nurses and people with their dogs, congregated in the sunshine outside the State Library as part of a national day of action.
The demonstration was the 97th consecutive pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne; organiser Mai Saif told those assembled that Australian politicians had failed the people of Gaza.
Saif, whose father is Palestinian, said support for the plight of the people of Gaza was growing, with protests occurring across 40 cities nationally.
“Let our message be clear: we believe in equality, we believe in human rights, in humanity, in love, in hope, in resistance,” she told the crowd, which erupted into cheers.
“This is our land, our home, our ancestors, our heritage … we will never leave.”
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe drew comparisons between the Palestinian and First Nations struggle, while renowned Indigenous activist Dr Gary Foley told the crowd he had just recovered from heart surgery, but wanted to be at the rally because “they will never kill the resistance”.
“My heart remains with the people of Palestine,” he said.
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