Up to 30,000 people marched in Sydney to protest two years of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, as part of a nationwide protest movement across 27 cities and towns. 

Gathering in Hyde Park, protesters heard speeches from several prominent pro-Palestinian activists, including Australian members of the Sumud Flotilla which was intercepted two weeks ago while attempting to break Israel’s siege of Gaza and deliver aid. 

Abubakir Rafiq, who was on the flotilla and imprisoned by Israel, stressed the importance of staying positive after two years of conflict which has seen an estimated 67,183 Palestinians killed.

“When the Palestinians have had their homes destroyed, their loved ones killed, everything stripped away from them, and they’re still smiling and they’re still happy and they’re still thankful to God, how can I not be the same?” he told Central News.

Fellow Australia flotilla activists Juliet Lamont and Surya McDermot joined Rafiq in sharing their experiences in Israeli detention, and promised that the unsuccessful aid delivery operation would not be the last attempt to break the siege. 

“We were 20 nautical miles away; we could see the land,” Lamont said. “And this time, we’re gonna go back with 150 boats, 200 boats.”

“And you can join us, because I’m not a very good sailor, but I’ve got a bit of fire in my belly and I’m gonna go back so pick me up and I’ll get you on a boat.” 

Protesters marched through Sydney’s CBD to Belmore Park through rain and windy conditions, with chants calling for divestment from Israel and accusing both Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong of complicity in genocide. 

Both NSW Police’s figure of 8,000 protesters and organisers Palestine Action Group’s estimate of 30,000 fell short of the 40,000 estimate of expected attendees at the march. Palestine Action Group had originally planned to gather at the Sydney Opera House, however, a Supreme Court decision ruled the location as a danger to protesters and the public.

Despite speculation that the ceasefire deal brokered by the US between Israel and Hamas led to a reduced protest turnout, Brendan Tate from Students for Palestine said “not much changes”.

“Whilst this is a welcome reprieve for the Palestinians from the bombing, it is definitely by no means an end to the injustice that they face, the siege conditions, the injustice of having their land taken from them by Israel,” he said.

“We want to make our government know that students, that the people, will keep on fighting to ensure that Palestinians actually do have justice, freedom and peace.” 

Pointing to similar protests across the world, including Italy’s million-person protest earlier this month, and the UK’s 500,000-strong march on Sunday morning, Tate said international opinion is rapidly shifting.

“I think the vast majority of people from all over the world know that what Israel has been doing these last two years is abominable and are also fed up with our own government’s complicity, sending weapons, refusing to sanction Israel, refusing to cut ties.” 

“The tide has turned in terms of ideas, but people are also fighting back now.”