'Wake up': Gaza supporters' march is a warning for MPs
More than 90,000 people braved the rain for a pro-Palestine protest at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as thousands more took part in similar rallies in Melbourne and Adelaide, to voice their concerns about the Gaza Strip.
High-profile participants at the Sydney protest included Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, former Socceroos captain Craig Foster, former Labor foreign affairs minister Bob Carr and federal Labor MP Ed Husic.
"Just as some underestimated the amount of people that would turn up on the bridge, I think Australian politics has underestimated how strongly Australians feel about this issue," Mr Husic, a former cabinet minister, told ABC radio on Monday.
"This is a moment - a wake-up call - for Australian politics.
"When I looked in that crowd, you had people that you would expect ... protesting, but there was a lot of middle Australia there and that's something that can't be ignored."
NSW Police praised the behaviour of the protesters but had to force them to turn around about an hour into the march on the bridge because of the "risk of injury, due to the huge number of people taking part".
Federal Liberal senator David Sharma, a former diplomat who once served as Australia's ambassador to Israel, said the protests had made him "uncomfortable".
"One of the things we've tried to do through this and many other foreign conflicts is stop the importation of foreign conflicts, make sure they're not allowed to be brought into Australia," he told Sky News on Monday.
"I don't like the idea of a major piece of infrastructure being disrupted for people to campaign about something going on overseas where Australians have very little influence."
Tens of thousands of Australians have historically taken to the streets in protest of international wars such as the Vietnam War and the Iraq War.
Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas - which Australia deems a terrorist organisation attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking more than 251 hostages.
The ensuing bombardment and blockade of Gaza have killed more than 60,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry sources.
Gaza's population of 2.1 million people is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity, including one million people who face emergency levels of food insecurity, according to the United Nations.
The federal government on Monday announced an additional $20 million to support aid organisations in delivering food, medical supplies and other lifesaving support in Gaza.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
26 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Protests planned across Australia after Sydney Harbour Bridge march
Protest laws could be repealed or expanded following a march across an iconic national landmark, as activists plan for more demonstrations. The pro-Palestine movement, boosted by a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge which made news across the nation and around the world, hopes to build on its momentum. The march across the bridge and back in pouring rain came after opposition from police, and a court's overruling approval that has politicians worrying about the rare occurrence becoming common. Further protests are planned on August 24 in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth with hopes more can be organised in other cities. Ahead of the state's parliament resuming on Tuesday, NSW Premier Chris Minns says his government is examining whether a legal precedent has been set by the Supreme Court judgment that allowed the protest to proceed. 'No one should believe it's open season on the bridge,' he told reporters on Monday. But new laws might be needed to stop future bridge protests. Minns was 'not ruling anything out' but said any legislation could not be rushed. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley encouraged the premier to look at 'what might happen next'. 'Because we can't continue to have these protests that shut down such an important area of a major city,' she told reporters. In her determination declining to prohibit the march, Justice Belinda Rigg said the bridge would have been closed to traffic regardless of whether the protest was authorised or not. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said demonstrations were an important part of democracy and highlighted the peaceful nature of the Sydney march. 'Australians want people to stop killing each other, they want peace and security ... they don't want conflict brought here,' he said. Minns has faced some internal dissent from other Labor MPs over protest legislation. NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson has also flagged plans to seek the repeal of laws limiting protest, first introduced by the previous coalition government but expanded under Labor. Palestine Action Group organiser Josh Lees, defendant of the court action NSW Police took in an unsuccessful attempt to have the demonstration ruled unlawful, says nationwide protests are being planned for August 24. 'We want to build on this massive momentum we have now,' he told reporters. Despite concerns of regular marches across the bridge, Lees said the group has no plans for a repeat crossing any time soon and accused the premier of having an anti-protest agenda. 'His stance is pretty clear and he's passed a raft of anti-protest legislation already,' Lees said. 'We're going to have to keep fighting for our rights to demonstrate.'
Perth Now
26 minutes ago
- Perth Now
$135m rescue for struggling major employer
The federal, South Australian and Tasmanian governments will inject $135m into the struggling Nyrstar smelting business in response to attempted market dominance from China. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas announced the funding at the Port Pirie smelter on Tuesday, flanked by business executives, a day after state cabinet met in the town. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the lifeline was in the face of 'an unacceptable risk'. Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'When people contemplate, 'Is this an appropriate investment on behalf of taxpayers', one also has to think about the counterfactual,' Mr Malinauskas said. 'The counterfactual would be to allow the western world to see China consolidate all of its smelting capacity - all of the world's smelting capacity - which would mean that we don't get to participate in the critical mineral and critical metal supply chain of the future. 'That's an unacceptable risk, particularly in the current geostrategic environment.' Canberra is kicking in $57.5m, SA is contributing $55m and Tasmania will cover the remaining $22.5m. The announcement was made at the Port Pirie smelter. NewsWire / David Mariuz Credit: News Corp Australia Materials coming out of the Nyrstar smelters are crucial for products as diverse as batteries, flame retardants, cameras, semiconductors, and solar panels. Mr Malinauskas flashed a chunk of processed antimony and spoke of its military uses. 'Few Australians would have heard of antimony, but it's a critical mineral that has a number of applications, none more important than the national defence supply chain,' he said. 'In fact, antimony is often attributed for shortening World War II by 12 months. It is something that men and women in the field of battle simply must have. 'And other parts of the world - other countries - one in particular - is seeking to consolidate the production of critical minerals just like this to the exclusion of all others.' Antimony is used to harden bullets. Following WWII, the US Munitions Board assessed the harder, more reliable bullets saved a year of fighting. More to come
9 News
an hour ago
- 9 News
Japanese company wins $10 billion deal to build new Australian warships
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here A Japanese multinational will build $10 billion worth of new warships for the Royal Australian Navy, the federal government announced today. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries edged out German company TKM to secure the deal, a decision made months ahead of schedule. The Japanese company's advanced Mogami frigates will replace the navy's ageing Anzac-class vessels over the coming years. The Australian government has selected the upgraded Mogami-class frigate to replace the Royal Australian Navy's Anzac class vessels. (Department of Defence) The latest Mogami-class frigate can operate at a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles, and is armed with surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and underwater warfare systems. The government ordered the first three of the new warships to be built overseas in order to secure a speedier delivery. They are scheduled to hit Australian waters by 2029 before becoming operational one year later. Most of the other frigates will be built in Perth. Defence Minister Richard Marles says the new warships are part of the government's plan to more than double the size of the navy's surface combat fleet. "The upgraded Mogami-class frigate will help secure our maritime trade routes and our northern approaches as part of a larger and more lethal naval surface combatant fleet," he said. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said they offer the navy increased firepower. "It will take our general purpose frigates from being able to fire 32 air defence missiles to 128 missiles, giving our sailors the cutting‑edge weapons and combat systems they need to prevail in an increasingly complex environment." defence Australian Defence Force navy maritime military CONTACT US
