Thousands of protesters gathered in Hyde Park today for the thirteenth weekly demonstration organised by the Palestine Action Group.
The speakers highlighted the continued complicity of Western governments and the media in the face of a rising humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the West Bank, and southern Lebanon.
Palestinian activist and co-chair Assala Sayara began the rally, leading the crowd in chants calling for a free Palestine, an immediate ceasefire, and the end of the Israeli occupation. She acknowledged the Gadigal land on which the protest was held and paid respects to her ancestors, like her grandfather who “fought so that I and millions of Palestinians can live today.”
She pushed back against the dominant narrative that Israel has the right to defend itself, arguing, “they don’t have the right to target innocent civilians in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria.” She framed the conflict as one with clear sides: “It’s either the oppressed or the oppressor.”
Fellow activist and co-chair Ophelia Haragli then told her own family’s story, recounting how her grandfather “used every dollar he had” to resist Israeli occupation forces until his expulsion in 1948. She lamented that he tried three times to return to his land but failed.
Haragli, however, remained optimistic about resistance, pointing out that even though Israel has the fourth most powerful military in the world, “we still see Palestinians resisting.”
Haragli further condemned Arab and Muslim leaders such as Saudi Arabia who continue to support Israel with arms and aid.
The third co-chair, activist Damien Ridgewell, spoke next about the sheer scale of destruction Gaza has experienced in the past 90 days: “Entire regions and cities have been flattened…70% of all homes destroyed or damaged by the relentless bombardment.”
He condemned the targeting of hospitals, schools, and religious buildings and attacked the Albanese government for their complicity, “shame on you for standing by.” He called on the protestors to continue “to hold our government to account [because] Israel only gets away with these crimes because of the support of the Western powers.”
Lebanese journalist and activist Dania Hawat then spoke about the recent Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon and Beirut. She escaped the country through Syria during the 2006 war after Israel bombed Beirut airport.
She rejected the narrative that Israeli attacks have been targeted only at Hamas leaders, saying they “have done countless environmental attacks on agricultural targets such as wheat farms and apple fields.”
She implored the demonstrators to use their voices to spread the experiences of those in Gaza and Lebanon: “publish an article, write a poem, tell a friend.”
Australian journalist Wendy Bacon pointed out that “the media is a weapon of war,” before emphasising how important the media landscape is to shaping how people understand the struggle in Palestine. Bacon asked “where is the outcry from journalists across the world?”, and raised the extensive Australian media coverage by Newscorp and Nine of the Danish royal family and cricket in contrast to minimal coverage of Palestine.
Bacon drew attention to the over one hundred Palestinian journalists who have died so far reporting on the conflict: “they made sure these stories have been communicated to the world…their work means that Israeli government censorship does not succeed in hiding their atrocities.”
The final speaker, South Coast Labor Council member Arthur Rorris, linked the Palestinian struggle with worker’s rights. As a member of the union movement, he said “we know what it’s like to stand with the workers.”
He accused large defence corporations of “using their power to buy the silence” of our politicians and supported current efforts on the south coast to prevent the construction of a new defence industry for the AUKUS agreement.
Rorris also expressed solidarity with South Africa, which recently brought legal proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. Western governments, he said, “are running away from their obligations to universal human rights.”
After the speeches, protestors marched through the Sydney CBD towards Town Hall chanting for an end to the Israeli occupation and the continued ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.
Palestine Action Group will host their 14th consecutive rally at Hyde Park at 1 pm Saturday, January 13th.
