Tens of thousands in Australia take to the streets to support Gaza
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Al Jazeera
Sydney: Tens of thousands of people marched through Australia's cities and towns on Sunday, demanding action to save dying and starving Palestinians, the Associated Press reported.
Peaceful rallies were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and dozens of other cities across the country, with protesters urging sanctions on Israel and an end to Australia's arms trade with Israel.
Police estimated that about 10,000 people took part, while organisers said 100,000 marched alone in Sydney. They put the total figure at 300,000 across the nation.
In Melbourne, protesters congregated outside Victoria's State Library, chanting “sanction Israel now." Organiser Nour Salman said Australia's plans to recognise Palestinian statehood, in step with like-minded allies at the next United Nations meeting in September, must be accompanied by tougher sanctions on Israel.
“Enough is enough. There is no ifs, buts or maybes,” the activist said.
In Adelaide, about 5,000 people chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” gathered in Victoria Square, before marching to Parliament House, where they were addressed by independent senator Fatima Payman.
Josh Lees, a spokesman for Palestine Action Group's Sydney branch, told the AAP news outlet that a march on Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month had “generated so much momentum around the country.” Organisers estimated that 20,000 turned out in Perth, with smaller protests also in Canberra, Hobart and other cities.
The protests came after the world's leading authority on food crises said Friday the Gaza Strip's largest city is gripped by famine, and that it's likely to spread across the territory without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said more than half a million people in Gaza — about a quarter of its population — face catastrophic levels of hunger, with many at risk of dying from malnutrition-related causes. Israel has rejected the report's findings.
At least 62,263 Palestinians have been killed in the war since it started on October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.