By Zac Nikolovski, Ned Stevens and Zaryab Ahmad
Sydneysiders today demanded an end to Israel’s war on Gaza and the deliberate starvation of its people in one of the biggest protest marches in Australia this century.
Police estimated 90,000 people took part in the March for Humanity across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but organisers put the crowd size at up to 300,000.
The rally stretched from Lang Park, near Wynyard Station, to Milson’s Point, with thousands of protesters still amassed at the starting point, when police made a decision to halt the march and send it back over the Bridge because of fears the crowd was too big to funnel into surrounding streets in North Sydney.
Families with young children, students, union members, First Nations activists, as well as Christian, Jewish and Muslim community groups, turned out despite persistent rain throughout the day.
Organised by the Palestine Action Group (PAG), and only given the go-ahead by the Supreme Court yesterday after attempts by NSW Police to block it, the march saw a sea of keffiyehs, flags and umbrellas, with chants and placards echoing calls for an immediate ceasefire and sanctions on what demonstrators called the Netanyahu government’s “genocidal regime”.
Spokesman for PAG Josh Lees told Central News the protest marked “a historic day” in the country’s political life.
“We’re all ‘Generation Gaza’,” he said, walking amongst the chanting crowd. “We’re trying to stop the crime of this century – a genocide happening in front of our eyes, backed by our own government.”
PAG organiser Josh Lees led the crowd over the Harbour Bridge. Photo: Caitlin Maloney.
Addressing the crowd on the northside of the Bridge, Lees estimated there were 100,000 people who had taken part, but later upped the figure on the group’s Facebook page. And, after being told of the police decision to halt the march, told the crowd there were “too many people to fit on the Harbour Bridge”.
“This has been an absolute success. You should be really proud of what you’ve achieved here,” he said.
Lees added he hoped the rally would send a message to both Gaza and Canberra.
“We want the people of Gaza to know that they haven’t been forgotten… and we’re telling our government to stop sending weapons to this genocidal regime and sanction Israel now,” he said.
There was some confusion after marchers were told to turn around and head back despite the march still proceeding from the other side. Police issued a number of geolocated text messages to keep the crowd informed and also announced instructions from a PolAir helicopter. It led to long delays in marchers getting off the Bridge.
Speaking at a press conference after the march, acting deputy commissioner Peter McKenna told reporters the size of the turnout had been vastly underestimated, leading to the crowd being stopped from continuing through North Sydney.
“There is a reason why we have said all along we’d like to take the time to plan out these protests, and that is public safety,” he added. “Make no mistake, public safety was a real concern to us today.
“Whilst those numbers were far greater than what the organisers asked for… I’m really happy that the police on the ground, the police commander ran an operation today where they had to make very big decisions very quickly to ensure people’s safety.”
But, while voicing his concerns of the potential for a crowd crush, he added: “This operation from our point of view was a success in that no one was hurt, no people were hurt, no police were hurt, but gee wizz, I wouldn’t like to try and do this every Sunday at that short notice.”
The people have the power, and right now we are calling for the end of the despicable, brutal, unlawful genocide of Palestinian people and the destruction of Gaza.
Former federal minister and Labor MP Ed Husic called on the Australian government to follow countries like France, the UK, and Canada by officially recognising Palestine, a move he said could increase pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“We could be joining with our friends in the international community… recognising Palestine now as part of a push to pressure the Netanyahu government to open up humanitarian aid, [and] stop blocking food, water, medicine,” Husic said.
He added there was an urgent need to protect Palestinian civilians, especially children.
“We’ve got to stop killing kids, full stop – can’t starve them. It’s just wrong and people have come out in droves today to send that message,” he said.
“This is a way to send a signal to governments here and overseas that they want the killing of kids to stop, they want a ceasefire and they want Palestine to be recognised.”
Many prominent Australian figures joined the march, including Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, boxer Anthony Mundine, journalist Antionette Lattouf, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, former Socceroo Craig Foster, actress Claudia Karvan and former NSW premier Bob Carr.
Attendees, including Julian Assange, Craig Foster, Antoinette Lattouf and Greens Senator and deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi, marched at the front of the crowd. Photo: Sarah Goff-Tunks.
There have been two major marches across the Bridge this century: the Walk for Reconciliation in 2000, which attracted an estimated 250,000 people, and World Pride Day in 2023, in which 50,000 took part. Today’s march was the largest anti-war protest in Sydney since February 16, 2003, when up to 250,000 people protested the Iraq War.
Former premier Carr told Seven News: “Well, it’s a terrific turnout in lousy weather to send a message to Israel: ‘let the food and medicines through to a starving population’.
“I think people are utterly outraged by the starvation, the policy of starvation.”
NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson described the event as “an amazing display of people power” as she marched alongside protestors.
“I am feeling elated, ecstatic. This is our humanity on display,” she said.
“The people have the power, and right now we are calling for the end of the despicable, brutal, unlawful genocide of Palestinian people and the destruction of Gaza.”
Despite wet weather and intense political scrutiny leading up to the event, Higginson praised the turnout and criticised NSW Premier Chris Minns for attempting to block the march.
“Chris Minns tried to stop this. What a fool,” she said. “That is not leadership.
“The people united are powerful and they won’t be defeated.”
Protesters gathered in Lang Park in Wynyard before marching across the Bridge. Photo: Caitlin Maloney.
Speaking to Central News, NSW Greens Senator David Shoebridge demanded sanctions on Israel and its cabinet ministers, mirroring sanctions placed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, for contravening international law.
Shoebridge called for the end of “the two-way arms trade” and “ensuring that we’re not sending things such as armoured steel and other critical parts that we know can be used by the Israeli arms industry to continue the unlawful war in Gaza”.
NSW Greens Senator David Shoebridge was among the tens of thousands marching. Photo: Zaryab Ahmad.
“These are really practical and fundamental things and we could do them in a heartbeat if we had a government with courage,” he said.
Commenting on the UK, Canada and France’s push to recognise a Palestinian state, Shoebridge said: “Of course we should recognise the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination to have a state… and in many ways, the recognition of a Palestinian state is an abstract issue if you’re there being bombed and killed, you have no access to food. So we say sanction Israel now.”
Main image by Sarah Goff-Tunks.
Additional reporting by Caitlin Maloney and Sanjana Janardhan.
