The truth behind the pro-Palestine march that brought Sydney to a halt

News.com.au

19 hours ago

On Sunday afternoon, Sydneysiders from all walks of life gathered in the city to join a historic march across the Harbour Bridge, despite the fears and objections of NSW Police and Premier Chris Minns.
Just days prior, police and authorities moved to hastily block the march from going ahead, going as far as taking event organisers, Palestine Action Group, to the Supreme Court.
At 10am on Saturday, the march received the green-light from Justice Belinda Rigg who said arguments that the protest would cause disruption were not enough to stop it.
'It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption,' she said.
At that stage, only 10,000 people were expected to show up. A number which drastically rose to 50,000 following the court proceedings.
It wasn't until 1pm on Sunday that people realised the sheer scale of Sydney's March for Humanity.
Looking around, I saw ordinary Australians, young and old, who like myself, had turned out in some of the worst weather of the year to demand an end to the growing humanitarian crisis within Gaza.
These were men, women and children who stand beside you in day-to-day life. They were your colleagues, your friends, the people you catch the bus with and the parents you see at school drop-off.
Parents marched with their children on their shoulders, hearts heavy with the unshakeable truth that in another life, it could be their little ones they were fighting to save.
Our teenagers stood at the front lines, their voices trembling but fierce, carrying words that echoed far louder than their years.
Elderly marchers walked slowly but steadfastly, faces lined with the memory of wars they thought they'd left behind.
'I'm too old to be protesting this sh*t', said the sign of one lone elderly man.
'My parents marched against the Vietnam War, now I march for the war in Palestine,' said another sign.
Chants of 'We are all Palestinian' echoed across the masses, proving one simple point: We are all human.
Police reported upwards of 90,000 people attended but anyone who was there knows it was more like 300,000.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Adam Johnson told the media last night that he had 'never seen a more perilous situation' in his 35 years in the job, despite no arrests or injuries.
It's not often a crowd of that size is able to be on their best behaviour like that, especially in the face of confusing instructions from police halfway through.
At around 3pm protesters received a geo-targeted text messaging telling them the march needed to stop due to public safety and to await further instruction.
At 3.20pm, police sent out another message asking everyone to stop walking north.
'As soon as the march has stopped, we will look at turning everyone around back towards the city BUT it needs to be done in a controlled way in stages to keep everyone safe,' it read.
Due to the sheer number of people, diverting the original course when so many people had already made it across the bridge was tricky, but people handled it well and avoided crushing each other towards exit points.
Instead, they patiently awaited the direction of police, some even snacking on sandwiches and cucumber sticks and striking up conversation with others around them.
Others, offered ponchos and umbrellas to those who had gone without.
We saw better behaviour from almost 300,000 people in a confined space than we often see from fans at NRL games.
The march was endorsed by hundreds of organisations and individuals, most notably: Amnesty International Australia, NSW Greens, Jewish Council of Australia, Arab Council Australia, Julian Assange, Bob Carr, Craig Foster and NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.
It did not suggest Australia turn its back on our Jewish community – many of whom stood proudly alongside their Palestinian friends yesterday.
Rather, it suggested that ordinary Sydneysiders refused to stay quiet while thousands starve to death within the occupied Gaza Strip.
The truth is, no matter where you are from, or what 'side' you agree with; innocent people are starving and being gunned down at aid points. Innocent civilians are displaced and thousands are dead.
Politics aside – what makes these people any different from you and I? When did we stop caring about what happens to our fellow human beings?
It's a concerning divide that has only appeared to deepen in recent years. But yesterday, offered a glimmer of hope for the future.
This morning, the protest was the hot topic of conversation for Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who opposed the closing of the bridge in separate press conferences.
But don't fear Chris and Sussan, Palestine Action Group has confirmed there are 'no plans for another pro-Palestine protest over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in future.'