On Sunday, April 28, the community gathered for the twenty-ninth consecutive protest led by Palestine Action Group (PAG) in Hyde Park. At the start, a minute’s silence was observed for all the “Palestinian and Lebanese victims of genocide”, before a Lebanese activist spoke about the Lebanese struggle against Israeli attacks, bombardment, massacres, and occupation. She listed examples including, but not limited to, the 1978 invasion, the 1967 Six-Day War, the 1982 invasion and siege, the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, torture in Khiam prison throughout the 1990s, the 1996 Qana massacre, and the July War in 2006.
She went on to quote the lyrics of Remi Bendali’s ‘Atouna El Toufoleh (Give Us Our Childhood)’, released amidst the Lebanese Civil War. She concluded that “Palestinian people occupy our hearts, while [Israel] occupies our lands” and that “we are not free until Palestine, Lebanon… the Arab world is free from the Western world, media, and politics.”
Jana Fayyad spoke to the 35+ students ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampments’ across university campuses in the US and the world, which are “now being dubbed the student’s revolution”. She then acknowledged Columbia University’s inspiration from their encampments in 1968 during the Vietnam War, and stated that “it is this generation that will liberate Palestine”. She also demanded that the Australian government fly its flag on the Freedom Flotilla trying to deliver “lifesaving aid to Gaza” after alleged Israeli pressure was exerted on Guinea Bissau to drop its flag and stop the ship sailing from Turkey.
A ten-year-old child then began their speech by asking, “Can you believe they had to bring a ten-year-old to convince them that Palestinian lives matter”. The child said that Israel is “terrified of Palestinian children like me, also known as ‘minors’ in Western media” and therefore, purposely targets them.
“Being born and raised in Australia, I will never forgive and I will never forget our second Nakba,” they said.
Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh, Professor at the University of Bethlehem, now under lockdown and online teaching since October 7 acknowledged that “freedom is never handed on a silver plate to us”, ‘’ referring to Indigenous people everywhere, including Palestinians. About the dehumanisation of Palestinians, Qumisyeh declared himself “proud to be a human animal”, saying “Animals are more decent than the actions of this Zionist regime.”
Qumsiyeh then detailed an anecdote where a Palestinian girl asked him about Australia and he responded, “like the rest of the world, the people are with us but their government is not.” To this, the girl asked him to relay her gratitude to the people. Qumsiyeh concluded by urging everyone, individuals and nations, that they are obligated to stand against genocide and apartheid, and that “we all have a choice”.
The final speaker was Yasmine from Students for Palestine, and one of the campers at the USyd Gaza Solidarity Encampment. She reminded attendees that there are no universities left in Gaza, but said that Gaza is now “the university of the world” which has united everyone to act. She called upon protestors to join the USyd encampment and to join the upcoming student strike on May 9.
She spoke about Bisan, a Palestinian journalist on the ground in Gaza who is slightly older than her, and who urged students to “keep going because you’re our only hope.” Yasmine also spoke about the USyd’s ties with Israel, the Australian government’s silence about the student movement, and the most progressive university institutions in the US calling the cops on their students and faculty.
“So much for the facade in Australia and the US for freedom and justice,” Yasmine concluded.
The march began with a silent procession and then protestors’ voices rang loud and clear through the streets of Sydney’s CBD. Chants included “ceasefire now”, “from the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever”, and “Israel out of West Bank, Israel out of Gaza, Israel out of Palestine, long live the intifada.”
At the end, Fayyad outlined the protest schedule of the days to come:
- A snap protest for the Freedom Flotilla at the US Consulate in North Sydney planned for Monday April 29 at 8am
- A vigil for Palestine and Lebanon on May 3 at Brighton-Le-Sands
- May Day Rally on May 1 at Belmore Park
- Drive for Palestine convoy at the next PAG protest
- 76 years of the Nakba Rally on May 15 at Town Hall
The next Palestine Action Group rally will occur on Sunday May 5, at Hyde Park from 1 pm.
