Organised by the Palestine Action Group Sydney, the march followed calls by Hamas for global demonstrations marking the anniversary of the assassination of its former Ismail Haniyeh
August 4, 2025 14:54
Tens of thousands of protesters marched on Sunday in an anti-Israel demonstration in Sydney, Australia, under the banner of the "Walk for Humanity".
The protest took place amid growing domestic pressure on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to follow the UK, France and Canada in announcing his country’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state.
Organised by the Palestine Action Group Sydney, the march followed calls by Hamas for global demonstrations marking the anniversary of the assassination of its former leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Protesters marched across Sydney's Harbour Bridge despite heavy rain and strong winds, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Israel.
Some banged on pots and pans to protest the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. A parallel demonstration took place in Melbourne.
Some participants reportedly chanted slogans such as “long live the intifada,” referring to waves of suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians and wounded thousands.
Some protesters also allegedly called for the death of IDF soldiers and waived what appeared to be Al-Qaeda flags, while others were pictured with drawings of Israeli flags daubed with swastikas.
"We've had enough," said Doug, a man in his 60s interviewed by Reuters. "When people around the world come together and raise their voices, evil can be overcome."
Senator Mehreen Faruqi of the Green Party called in a speech for "the harshest sanctions on Israel," accused the IDF of "massacring" Gaza's population and condemned New South Wales Premier Chris Minns for opposing the rally.
Labour MP Ed Husic took part in the protest and urged his party to officially recognize a Palestinian state.
Other notable faces at the demonstration included Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who returned to his native Australia in June after the end of his years-long legal fight with the US government, and former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr.
Therese Curtis, an 80-year-old protester, said she felt compelled to march because of what she described as a contrast in medical access.
"I have the human right and privilege of receiving excellent medical care in Australia," she said. "But people in Palestine are having their hospitals bombed and are being denied that basic right. That's why I'm marching."
The Labour-led government in Canberra has not yet recognised a Palestinian state, but internal pressure on Albanese to do so is intensifying. In a joint declaration issued last week with several other countries, Australia expressed a "willingness to positively consider recognising a Palestinian state as a necessary step toward a two-state solution".
Albanese himself has said that blocking humanitarian aid and killing civilians is "indefensible and unacceptable," but stressed that any recognition would only happen if it contributed to advancing the two-state framework.
Against the backdrop of rising anti-Israel protests, Australia has also seen a rising tide of antisemitic incidents since October 7, 2023.
Last month, the East Melbourne Synagogue was set on fire while around 20 worshipers and family members, including children, were inside for a Shabbat meal. That same night, around 20 masked men wearing keffiyehs attacked Miznon, an Israeli-owned restaurant in central Melbourne, shouting "Death to the IDF," throwing chairs and smashing windows.
It was the second synagogue arson attack in Melbourne in less than a year. In December 2024, the Adass Israel Synagogue was completely destroyed in what police described as a terrorist attack. And, in January, federal police intercepted a caravan loaded with explosives intended to be detonated near a synagogue in Sydney.
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