On February 11, after 18 weeks of weekly protests with no government action, activist and organiser Zuja left the Sydney Hyde Park Palestine protest and to sit outside Prime Minister Anthony Albonese’s office in a fold up camp chair. After a few texts she was only alone for an hour:
“There (were) four of us overnight…then there were quite a few people…When it was really dead of night we were talking about how for quite a few people that week it felt like we needed to do something more than just go to the rally…. People were considering hunger strikes and other forms of protest and then when they heard that a sit-in was happening at Albanese’s they felt like yes exactly, that’s when we needed this let’s go.”
Albanese’s office has been abandoned by his staff and is now covered in signs calling for a Free Palestine.
The community has come together to picket. Members of the public can sign up for a shift through the @familiesforpalestine instagram. Alternatively, members of the public can stop by any time they can. MP’s have attended the sit in, including Mehreen Faruqi, Jenny Leong and Lea Rihannon.
Organizer Sarah Shaweesh, a local Palestinian cafe owner, stated, “our demands for Mr Albanese is (sic) to call for an immediate ceasefire, call for an end to the occupation and to end all ties with Israel.We have been picketing outside and we will not be going home until our demands are met.” People who have stayed overnight barely sleep. On February 12th, eight people sat in the whole night, while 12 people stayed across the 13th. Aiden, a USYD worker local to Marrickville, said staying overnight got tough around 3am but he held strength in solidarity. “In Gaza there’s no sleep every night, people can’t sleep without a bomb dropping on them, they are choosing a corner of the room that they hope is safe knowing they are choosing a corner they could die in.”
Palestinian Australian woman Rawda said, “I’m here because I’m tired of seeing my people suffer at the hands of our tax money —Australian dollars being funded for genocide against my people. I’m tired of allowing Albanese to think that he can just hide in his office and hide in his home all comfortable sleeping knowing blood is on his hands.”
A young First Nations Marrickville local Thomas said they were coming out to Albanese’s office because “he’s the top of the pile. He represents us on an international level.” Thomas said the picket demonstrates that Albanese does “not speak for us, we speak for ourselves. We are holding him responsible for his lack of action. He’s complicit in this genocide.”
Many protestors I spoke to shared the sentiment of not being able to continue life as normal while the genocide in Gaza continues.
Protesters came from the Inner West, across Sydney and interstate. Some protesters came from as far afield as Wollongong, Canberra, Victoria and Queensland to stand alongside Sydney locals.
People on the street offered support by buying food and water. In the mornings and afternoons there were pastries, donuts, fruits and other snacks brought by community members. In the evenings dinner is shared between protesters, with the menu recently including Curries, dhal and rice.On February 15, Albanese, in a joint statement with the PMs of New Zealand and Canada, called for a ceasefire.
Organiser and activist Zuja, when asked if the pressure of the sit-in has impacted that decision, replied “I don’t think so. Frankly I think that this is a pretty calculated political move on his part. The statement is extremely gentle. It does use the word ceasefire but it does not acknowledge the damage that has been done. It doesn’t condemn the atrocities. It doesn’t mention the possible genocide or any of the things that we know are happening…”
Anthony Albanese and his office staff have yet to meet with protesters. Zuja commented that “to our knowledge he is in Canberra or otherwise engaged, but we haven’t heard anything from him (or) from his office. No one has come to meet us or ask us for anything, or arrange for any kind of contact”
These activists vouch to continue to be on the ground day and night until all of their demands are met.
