300,000 March in Pro-Palestine Rally in Sydney, Australia
Aug. 5—Nearly bringing Sydney, Australia to a standstill, over 300,000 people marched Aug. 2, in the Palestine Action Group’s “March for Humanity” protest. The Sydney Harbor Bridge, an iconic landmark that had not had such a march in more than two decades, was wall-to-wall, packed with marchers from all across Australia.
At the front of the march were a number of high-profile Australians who carried a sign which read, “March for Humanity: Save Gaza.” One of those individuals holding the sign was WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, certainly a man of conscience. Others with him were Bob Carr, the former New South Wales Premier, and federal Foreign Affairs Minister. A week ago Carr had called for Australia’s federal government to impose sanctions on Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu.
“Many have been moved to march for the first time by the images of suffering in Gaza. The starving children of Gaza cannot wait another day. End the violence. There are growing numbers of us who are Jewish, proudly so, who say this does not represent us or who we stand for at all. For most who marched, this action was because of their deep concern about the level of human suffering taking place in Gaza. They want it to stop and they’re calling on the Australian government to act now,” ABC Australia TV network reported.
Another ABC Australia report noted, “The march on the harbor bridge garnered attention all over the world, even in Gaza. These four siblings in Gaza held signs thanking Australia for the solidarity.” Reporter Nabil al-Nashar, ABC News, Sydney elicited these comments, “I’m out today on this terrible rainy day to draw worldwide attention to the starvation of children, mothers, and babies.” He also reported that “The protest organizers are now planning an even bigger national march on August 24.”
Lastly, at least three other Australian cities held support rallies on the same day: Melbourne with over 25,000 protesters, as well as Adelaide and Brisbane each with a few hundred.