Protesters in more than 40 cities call for arms embargo, economic boycott as senators, activists urge government to act against Tel Aviv’s genocidal campaign that has killed over 62,600 Palestinians
Tens of thousands of Australians rallied in more than 40 cities and towns on Sunday to protest Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, with participants calling for sanctions on Tel Aviv, local broadcaster SBS reported.
Palestine Action Group organizers said the demonstrations aimed to pressure the federal government to sanction Israel and impose an arms embargo.
Josh Lees, a rally organizer, estimated crowds of "about 40,000 here in Sydney, 50 or 60,000 in Melbourne, 10,000 in Hobart, thousands in Perth and Brisbane and everywhere else." In Brisbane, police put the turnout at 10,000, while organizers claimed closer to 50,000.
Greens Senator Larissa Waters said the government will "feel the pressure" and praised the turnout, calling for sanctions on Israel "just like we have on Russia."
"There are so many people here calling for peace, calling for sanctions on Israel just like we have on Russia and calling for an end to the two-way arms trade," she told the Brisbane demonstration.
"Australians are horrified that we are selling weapons components to the Israeli government. It's got to stop,” she added.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, who participated in rallies in Melbourne, compared the Palestinian and First Nations struggles.
Slamming the supply of F35 fighter jet parts to Israel, she said: "The only way we're going to get traction here is to boycott Israel in all its forms. We have to boycott anything that Israel touches, that Israel is about."
In Canberra, Senator David Pocock called for stronger government action, including sanctions against Israeli leaders.
Sydney organizer Amal Nasser demanded "crippling" economic sanctions and an end to the two-way arms trade, highlighting famine in Gaza as "a weapon of war used by Israel to escalate this genocide."
Journalist Antoinette Lattouf described the impact of the war on reporters, recounting how journalist Wael al Dahdouh learned live on air that his family had been killed in an airstrike.
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame encouraged the public to speak out, saying: "There is another force that power responds to and it is public pressure."
Protests also took place in regional centers, including Mackay, Bathurst, and Margaret River, with demonstrators calling for humanity and chanting "free free Palestine," holding signs reading "stop genocide."
On Thursday, a local court in the Australian state of Queensland barred pro-Palestine protests across Brisbane's Story Bridge, citing safety concerns.
Israel has killed over 62,600 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
