Pro-Palestinian supporters rallied in Australian capital cities and regional locations for the Global Day for Gaza, calling on Australia to end its arms trade with Israel and demanding “true peace in Gaza” and the West Bank. Demonstrators also urged the Australian government to follow international law. The rallies marked lives lost during the three years of Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
Calls for a change in Australian policy
Across the country, protesters pressed the Australian government to change its relationships with Israel. In Newcastle, Niko Leka, of Palestine Action Group Muloobinba, said he and other Novocastrians had protested the war for years. He called the rally “another intervention, a peaceful intervention.”
Leka called for Australia to end its arms trade with Israel, stop investment and suspend relationships with Israeli universities until they obey international law. “No more arms trade with Israel, no more investment, stopping our relationships with their universities until they start obeying international law,” he said.
In Hobart, protesters marched along the waterfront, then headed to the Tasmanian Parliament. Speakers included Nala Mansell of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and Feras Shaheen of the Tasmanian Palestine Advocacy Network. Shaheen urged people to keep advocating and said new measures were needed to end the war in Gaza. “What else can you do in your spaces... there is still a lot to do,” he said.
Rallies in capital cities and regional locations carried calls for policy change. The report describes events in Hobart and Newcastle, but gives no attendance figures or speaker details for the other locations.
Attendance and local speakers
Hundreds marched in Hobart, waving Palestinian flags, carrying placards and chanting “the West Bank will be free.” People began gathering at about 11am. Then they moved to the Tasmanian Parliament.
About 100 people attended an event at Civic Park in Newcastle, New South Wales. Hunter Valley woman Lynn Benn, of environmental group the Knitting Nannas, said people had gathered because they were angry about conditions in Gaza. “Food supplies are restricted, critical medical supplies are restricted, and there are thousands and thousands of children in there,” she said.
Benn called for “true peace” in Gaza and the West Bank. She said: “This has been going on for three years, which is horrendous. Standing back and letting this happen is appalling, and that's why we're here.”
Casualties and displacement
The Gaza health ministry said more than 74,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza and more than 175,000 injured. The United Nations estimated that 1.9 million people had been displaced.
Demonstrators cited those figures as they called for an end to the war and for Australia to change its arms, investment and institutional relationships with Israel. The rallies marked lives lost during the three years of Israel’s retaliatory campaign, which followed the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack. In Hobart, protesters also called for the West Bank to be free. Speakers in Newcastle and Hobart urged continued advocacy and government action.