Photographs from New Year’s Eve at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Canberra, Ngunnawal country.
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Free Palestine Rally Week 13
Yesterday, for the thirteenth week running, thousands of people again turned up to Hyde Park, Sydney, Gadigal country, to protest against Israel’s war on Gaza.
The number of protesters over consecutive weeks across the last three months has been unprecedented in Australia, outnumbering (on a week-to-week basis) protests against wars in Iraq in the early 2000s and Vietnam during the 1970s.
According to Palestinian health authorities, deaths in Gaza since October the 7th, 2023 have now exceeded 22,000.
Speakers at Saturday’s rally included MCs Assala Sayara, Orphelia and Damien Ridgewell, Lebanese woman Dania Hawat, journalist Wendy Bacon, Dalia Ahq, and South Coast Labor Council rep and unionist, Arthur Rorris. All called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and across the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
Organisers - the Palestinian Action Group Sydney - have vowed to continue the protests for as long as the war persists.
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Health Workers for Palestine Vigil
Last night, health workers NSW gathered outside the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Gadigal country for their weekly vigil for Palestine.
According to the World Health Organization, there has been 600 attacks on healthcare in the Palestinian Occupied Territories in the last 3 months, with over 600 killed and nearly 800 injured, including medical staff and healthcare workers.
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Countdown To Ceasefire
Last Sunday, on New Year’s Eve, 2023, around 100 people gathered outside the Embassy of the United States of America in Canberra, Ngunnawal country, to demand that the USA stop funding and providing weapons for Israeli forces in Gaza. Speakers also urged the Australian government to publicly declare when it would halt providing arms to Israel.
The protestors then marched to the Israeli Embassy where further denunciations against the war were made. Speakers called for an immediate ceasefire, as the countdown to the new year approached - a plea that was ultimately ignored, with the war continuing to take lives across the Palestinian territories into 2024. Israeli officials today declared the assault on Gaza would continue for at least another six months.
Sunday’s action was organised by the Palestinian Action Group Canberra. A substantial presence of surveillance, embassy security and Australian Federal Police was on hand at the rally.
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Free Palestine Rally Week 12 - Canberra
Yesterday, around 200 people turned up to Garema Place in Canberra’s CBD, Ngunnawal country, to mark the 12th week of the war in Gaza.
The crowd heard speeches from Awn Nuwwar & Diana Abdel-Rahman (MCs, Palestinian Action Group Canberra), Dr Rick Kuhn, Dr Hasan Hijazi, Sue Wareham (Medical Association for the Prevention of War) and members of the public. They called for an immediate ceasefire to hostilities in Gaza.
The protesters then marched through the CBD, where one person was fined by police after being given a move-on order when they tried to block traffic at an intersection.
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Free Palestine Rally Week 10
For the 10th consecutive week, thousands of people turned up to Hyde Park, Gadigal Land, to protest against the war in Palestine.
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Health Workers for Palestine Rally
Yesterday, around 100 NSW healthcare workers rallied at the Sydney Hospital, Gadigal Land, to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Reports from Gaza say over 250 Palestinian healthcare workers have been killed during the war so far. There are also reports that up to 70 medical staff from the Kamal Adwan Hospital were arrested and detained by Israeli forces.
Friday afternoon’s rally moved from the Sydney Hospital, marching through the CBD to Hickson Road Reserve on Sydney Harbour, where speeches were made and watermelon served.
The event was organised by ‘Health Workers 4 Palestine NSW’.
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Free Palestine Rally - Week 9
On Sunday, coinciding with International Human Rights Day, and for the ninth consecutive week, tens of thousands turned out on the streets of Sydney, Gadigal Land, to protest against the war on Gaza, calling for an immediate, lasting ceasefire and a halt to all hostilities in the occupied Palestinian territories. According to the health ministry in Gaza, over 18,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October the 7th, 70% of whom have been women and children.
Speakers at Sunday’s rally in Hyde Park included MC Assala Sayara, First Nations man and actor Meyne Wyatt, NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong, Nasser Mashni from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network and the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohamed.
Similar numbers are expected at next week’s rally.
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Vigil For Palestine
On Thursday evening, a small, solemn group of around 100 people gathered at Liverpool mall, on Dhurrawal and Darug country, to hold a vigl for the victims of the war in Gaza and the Palestinian occupied territories.
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School Strike for Palestine
Yesterday, around 200 school students gathered again at Sydney Town Hall, Gadigal Land, walking out of class for their second strike against the war on Gaza, which is currently in its 8th week. Also present were several anti-Zionist Jewish students, who spoke out against the war.
The event was organised by School Strike for Palestine.
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Free Palestine Rally - Week 8
Photographs of Sunday’s ‘Free Palestine’ rally at Hyde Park, Gadigal Land, where for the eighth consecutive week, tens of thousands marched through Sydney’s streets to protest against the war on Palestine.
The rally came after a brief pause in hostilities, with Israeli troops continuing their assault on Gaza, and aerial bombing across the southern occupied Palestinian territory recommencing.
Speakers included MC Assala Sayara, Rayanne Hussain, Josh Lees, Nousra Hussain, Reem Borrows and Wesam Charkawi. Acknowledgement of Country was performed by Uncle David Bell.
All speakers called for an immediate end to the war and warned Labor politicians that they may not see a second term - both nationally and state-wide - because their one-sided response to the conflict has alienated many communities across NSW and Australia.
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COP28 Climate Protest
Photographs from yesterday’s COP28 climate rally at Belmore Park, Sydney, Gadigal Land, where protesters called for greater action on climate change. The United Nations sponsored COP28 summit is currently underway in the oil and gas rich United Arab Emirate, where world leaders are meeting to debate the next moves to curtail fossil fuel emissions.
While the tripling of renewable energy outputs seems as though it will be agreed upon, scientists are now fearing the 2015 Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius increase in post-industrial global temperature is on track to be doubled to a catastrophic 3 degrees. Climate activists are demanding that during the current climate emergency, far more needs to be achieved at COP28 than is proposed.
Speakers at today’s rally included MCs Caitlin Doyle-Markwick and Harpreet Kaur Dhillon from the Sydney Climate Coalition, Aisake Nasedra who spoke on the impact on global warming on Fiji and the Pacific, Nic Clyde from Lock The Gate, Arthur Rorris from the South Coast Labour Council, and Deen Kafina, a Palestinian student activist. Welcome to Country was performed by Aunty Rhonda Dixon-Grovenor.
Under a significant police presence - nearly more police were on hand than protesters - the rally marched from Belmore Park, through the CBD to Sydney Town Hall,
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Pro-Palestine Rally at Martin Place as Israel Restarts Gaza Bombing
Several hundred people turned up to Martin Place, Gadigal Land, yesterday for a pro-Palestinian rally and to demand that charges be dropped against the 23 protesters who were arrested at Port Botany last week. The protesters were arrested under the draconian anti-protest laws which have been condemned by civil liberties and human rights groups across NSW. The laws were passed in the last term of government by both the state Coalition and Labor parties, and have been retained by the incoming Labor government.
As the rally was underway, news broke that the ceasefire in Palestine had been broken, and that Israel had recommenced the bombing of Gaza.
Speakers included MCs Jana Fayyad and Matt, Greens NSW state MP Jenny Leong, Angus McFarland from the Australian Services Union, Amad Abadia from the Palestine Justice Movement Sydney, Maritime Union of Australia rep Natalie Wasely, and the National Tertiary Education Union representative, Sophie Cotton. Acknowledgement of Country was performed by Wadi Wadi man and trade unionist, Matt Jeffery.
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Pro-Palestinian Sit-In at Central Station
Yesterday afternoon, about 200 people turned up to Central Station in Sydney, Gadigal Land, to perform a sit-in during peak hour to protest against the war on Gaza.
A significant police presence was in attendance, including members of the riot squad.
The action lasted about an hour and was organsied by School Strike for Palestine.
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Free Palestine Rally - Week 7
Week 7 into the Israeli invasion into Gaza and thousands of people again turned out at Hyde Park, Sydney, Gadigal Land, to call for a permanent ceasefire.
Speakers included MCs Assala Sayara and Jana Fayyard, Acknowledgement of Country by Carolyn Ienna, BDS representative Hemni Habad, Palestinian Christians in Australia rep Susanne Wahab, Rayanne Hussain and 12-year old Salma Jabber, who just returned from Palestine earlier this year.
The protest was organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney.
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Trans Day of Resistance 2023
Yesterday, around 200 people turned up at Pride Square in Newtown, Gadigal Land, for the annual Trans Day of Resistance, calling for greater Trans rights and the swift passing of gender self-ID laws in NSW Parliament.
Welcome to Country was performed by Graham Simms. Speakers included MC Jamie Bridge, Barbie Ganoush, Erin from the NSW Greens, Liz Duck-Chong from the Australian Services Union, Ethan Lyons from the Wiradjuri nation, Paddy Gibson and Wei Thai-Haynes.
After speeches, the crowd marched from Pride Square, down King Street, to Victoria Park.
The action was organised by Pride in Protest and the National Union of Students Queer/LGBTQiA+ Department.
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School Strike For Palestine
Yesterday, on the eve of the 4 day ceasefire and prisoner swap in Gaza, several hundreds of school children rallied at Sydney Town Hall on Gadigal Land, to demand for peace in Palestine.
Speakers included, MC Eva, First Nations university student Ethan Floyd, Palestinian high school student Noura, Greens Senator Dr. Mehreen Faruqi, anti-Zionist Jewish student Rex, and students Jaseena al-Helo and Shovan Bhattarai.
A provocateur holding an Israeli flag was forcibly removed by police for breach of peace, while another was later also moved on.
After speeches, the rally marched through the CBD and back to Town Hall.
The protest was organised by School Strike for Palestine.
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Free Palestine Rally - Week 6
On Sunday, for the sixth consecutive week, tens of thousands of people rallied in Hyde Park, Sydney, Gadigal Land, to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Speakers included Assala Sayara, Aunty Shirley Lomas, Meriki Onus, Dalia Al-Haj Qasem, Omar Al-Ouf, Josh Lees, 12-year old, Jayda Shadid and Amal Naser.
Palestinian authorities say that more than 13,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel invaded six weeks ago. Talk of a hostage deal with Hamas in exchange for some kind of military pause on the Israeli side have been reported, but it has yet to materialise.
Sunday’s demonstration was organised by the Palestinian Action Group.
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Bring Joy Back Home
Photographs from last Saturday’s gathering at the corner of Yurong and Stanley Streets, East Sydney, to promote the petition to reinstall Loui May’s statue of ‘Joy’ - a tribute to sex workers - after it was vandalised and eventually removed in 2000. The statue currently resides in storage at Macquarie University.
The artwork is distinguished by being the first statue of a sex worker in the world.
Last Saturday’s event was MC’d by Julie Bates, founding member of the Bring Joy Back Campaign Committee; the statue’s sculptor, Loui May (Fraser); Labor Councillor at the City of Sydney, Linda Scott - who is submitting the petition to Council; Chantelle Martin, outgoing SWOP (Sex Worker Outreach Program) manager; and Eurydice Aaroney, also from the Bring Joy Back Campaign Committee. Amongst supporters present on the day were historian, Catherine Freyne and Professor Basil Donovan, who has been instrumental in sex work law reform.
The petition aims to bronze the original statue and redeploy it at its original East Sydney site. It requires at least 400 signatures and is due to be put to Council this coming Monday.
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Whistleblower David McBride Pleads Guilty
Whistleblower and former Australian military lawyer, David McBride, today pled guilty on charges of leaking secret military information, after key aspects of his defence were thrown out of the ACT Supreme Court in Canberra, Ngunnawal land.
McBride’s defence relied on arguing that his military oath to the Queen to serve the interests of the nation and its people justified his passing on classified documents about the over-investigation of Australian combat incidents to three journalists. Ultimately this information led to an ABC report on alleged Australian war crimes in Afganistan. Instead, the Supreme Court today ruled that McBride’s over-riding duty was to follow army orders, rather than act in the interests of the public.
In 2020, the conclusion of the Brereton inquiry into war crimes committed by the ADF, found that there was credible evidence that 39 Afghan civilians had indeed been unlawfully killed by Australian Special Forces.
A group of supporters at today's court hearing demanded that the charges against McBride be dropped and that the legal protections for whistleblowers in Australia be strengthened.
David McBride will be sentenced early next year.
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