Tens of thousands of people joined a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney yesterday, organizers said, after a court this week blocked a move to hold the protest at the Sydney Opera House.
About 27 protests took place across Australia, including in Melbourne and Sydney, organizer Palestine Action Group said, which estimated a crowd of 30,000 at the Sydney rally.
Police did not have an estimate for the protest.
Photo: AFP
The rallies took place against the backdrop of Israeli troops pulling back under the first phase of a US-brokered agreement to end the war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins.
Amal Naser, an organizer of the Sydney rally, said that “even if the ceasefire holds, Israel is still conducting a military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.”
“The occupation as well as systemic discrimination against Palestinians living in Israel constitute an Apartheid system,” she said.
Australian Broadcasting Corp footage showed protesters, many carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves, marching on closed city streets.
Police said no arrests were made.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for more than 200 Jewish organizations, condemned the protest organizers.
“They want the deal to fail, which would mean the war would continue,” cochief executive Peter Wertheim said.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been common in Australia, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, since the war in Gaza erupted.
Gazan authorities said more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave flattened.
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