Dear friends,
for a third week in a row, thousands of people took to the streets in Melbourne to oppose Israel's war crimes and massacres in Gaza. Between 3500 and 4000 people stood in solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine and demanded an end to Israel's war crimes and for the Australian Abbott government to break ties with Apartheid Israel.
As we took to the streets today, the death toll in Gaza has continued to climb with more than 850 Palestinians now killed by the Israeli state, the vast majority of those killed are civilians, mainly women and children. More than 5000 people have been injured, whole neighbourhoods have been levelled. The Australian government has refused to condemn Israel and has instead backed Israel's war crimes in Gaza. The protest today called for the Abbott government to break all military, economic and political ties with Israel and end its complicity with Israel's war crimes.
A fourth rally has been called for Melbourne, for next week on Friday, 1 August at 6pm at the State Library.
In solidarity, Kim
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All photos by Kim Bullimore
Jo from Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid chairing the rally.
Aboriginal activist and First Nations Student Officer at La Trobe University, Jay Wymarra speaking in solidarity with Palestine, highlighting the similarities between the Indigenous Australian struggle and the Palestinian struggle
Palestinian-Australian playwriter and poet, Samah Sabawi, whose family is from Gaza chairing the rally.
Palestinian activist, Shamikh Badra from Gaza, speaks on the situation faced by his family and friends
Greens Senator Janet Rice
Trade Unionist Mick Bull from the CFMEU speaking about union solidarity with Palestine
Nazeem Hussain, social justice activist & comedian with Fear of a Brown Planet
Protesters carried the names of the Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza
over the last 18 days.
Daniel Taylor from Jews Against Israeli Apartheid speaks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza
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