Following 11 weeks of protests against the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine and war in Gaza, on December 23, two further Palestine protests were held in Sydney’s CBD.
Outside Pitt St Mall, Palestinian Christians in Australia, BDS Youth Australia, Palestine Justice Movement Sydney and Tzedek Collective reminded shoppers that “Christmas is cancelled” in Palestine. They also peacefully demonstrated inside the Zara store.
Meanwhile, at Hyde Park, songs were performed and played before Palestine Action Group’s protest began.
Jana Fayyad, co-chair of the Hyde Park protest, asserted that for all the 12 million words in Arabic, the 170 000 words that can be translated to English are insufficient to convey the grief of the Palestinian people.
She also spotlighted the city of Jenin, where Israeli soldiers have been abusing and mocking Palestinians, and uploading videos to social media.
Fayyad additionally spoke about how Palestinian existence is questioned, sharing a personal story where she was asked: “Where are you from?”. After stating that she was Palestinian, the person responded that they had visited Israel and said, “so you’re Palestinian, what does that even mean?”.
“Everything before 1948”.
Co-chair Assala Sayara underscored how Palestine taught her about injustice and the need to confront oppression, and proclaimed that “Palestine is not my history… it’s all I am”.
Sayara maintained that it is governments that have failed Palestinians, but never the people. She then said Yemen should be praised for its action in the Red Sea that has forced Israel to reroute its shipping route and suffer billions in losses.
Sayara also stated that Israel did not deserve to be referred to as the “most democratic state in the Middle East”, and that there is little left to say, except to “keep fighting”.
Uncle Dave began by leading chants, and acknowledging that Palestinians experience the same struggle as their Indigenous brothers and sisters.
He spoke about the Aboriginal connection to the saying “from the river to the sea”, citing the changed names of land as an indication of colonisation and dispossession. The crowd then joined in as he recited the Aboriginal names of different rivers, regions and peoples across New South Wales.
Reem, a Palestinian-Australian Christian spoke about living as a second-class citizen within the 1948 borders as well as the differing experiences of those in Gaza, the West Bank, diaspora communities, and stateless refugees, asserting that “[they] are all Nakba survivors”.
Reem also reminded attendees that Palestinian Christians – descendants of the first Christians of the world – cannot celebrate like us, because “nothing is sacred under occupation”. Churches in Palestine have decreed a “silent Christmas”, one of prayer and action, instead of celebration.
Reem also reminded the crowd that “Jesus was born in Palestine” and that he did not stand for the freedom of one people at the expense of another because “God is not a real estate agent”.
She indicated that selective activism is in play, as it is taking a global effort of millions to simply say “stop killing people”. Therefore, “for the sake of humanity, we all have to view ourselves as Palestinians” and not tire out when calling for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation.
Sheikh Wissam Charkawi then spoke about how Maslow’s hierarchy of basic needs, namely security and safety, are virtually nonexistent for Palestinians.
He concluded that we must “undo the constructs of racism and nationalism”, and that these protests are about hope, justice and cherishing life, not racism, hate or pitting people against another.
Both Reem and Sheikh Charkawi gave a special mention of support to journalist Antoniette Lattouf who was recently told by the ABC not to return to her temporary radio gig because of her social media posts.
The final speech was given by a 10-year-old Palestinian Australian, who stated that despite never having set foot in Palestine, it always lives in him.
He refuted the Israeli belief that “the old will die and the young will forget”, and urged young Palestinians to be proud of their heritage, even when they are silenced or made to feel they don’t belong.
A choir then performed a remix of the song, Sawfa nabka hona (سوف نبقى هنا), which translates to “We will remain here”, before the march to Belmore Park.
Throughout the proceedings, chants like, “Gaza, Gaza, don’t you cry; Palestine will never die”, “Netanyahu you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide” and “Long live Gaza” rang loud and clear.
The final Palestine protest of the year will be at 1pm on Saturday 30 December. 2024 will see its first protest on Saturday 6 January.
