Yesterday, on Father’s Day, hundreds of people met at Bondi Beach to participate in a solidarity gathering for the Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of more than 50 ships which is sailing from Spain in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza and deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to the war stricken strip. Banners and small origami boats were brought to Bondi to make a pathway down to the water’s edge, where a ‘paddle out’ by surfers was launched. The gathering was organised by Jews Against The Occupation ‘48.
As the event commenced, a large group of Pro-Israeli and Zionist counter-protesters assembled on the esplanade, to hurl racist abuse and mock the pro-Palestinian crowd. A brief scuffle ensured but was quickly broken up by police The counter-protest quickly grew in number, swelling to around 1,000 people.
After a couple of hours, the solidarity gathering had to be escorted from the beach by police because of concerns for their safety.
The Sumud Flotilla is currently docked in Tunisia and is expected to set sail towards Gaza in coming days.
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