With local first year of the October 7 attack in Gaza coming up, thousands of people have demonstrated in Sydhe, Melbourne and Adelaide to show support to Palestine marking another essential aspect of political freedom in Australia. The protests are well-organized and surrounded by a call to raise awareness of war in Gaza and raise voices to encourage other people to stop war in this area.
In Melbourne Australia, demonstrators took thousands of small paper kites made of various colours and placed them in front of the State Library of Victoria. The lifetime of each kite is the life of the child that was killed in Gaza and these kites are symbolic representations of the losses. Speaking for the,message behind the kite display was voiced by the youth worker Lucas Li, who organized the event, “We just want to say that enough is enough, and also to grieve for the dead as we are”. The display has been relatable to many Melburnians and has made them to stop and think about it as well as discuss with one another.
On the same note, authorities in Sydney are expecting one of the biggest crowds with estimates putting the number of people at 5000. Acting with this increasingly authoritarian force – or maybe just from a position of chronic frustration – NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has said there will be no “escalatory action” from police but has added, “Our response will be proportionate but we take the position that this is an authorised protest for a peaceful protest and that is what is expected.” Authorities have also warned protesters that some symbols are banned and can lead to criminal charges including waving the Hezbollah flag and, portraits of Hassan Nasrallah for people to acknowledge the limitations of the right to assembly and demonstration.
The demonstrations also occur at a time when the general security in the Australia has been lifted and strict measures taken. Specifically, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for calm concerning specific kinds of protests that are provocative enough to infuriate parties on both sides of the anniversary. Despite these possible developments organizers in Sydney have declared that the events Will snow even if banned with a court order which shows the readiness of pro Palestinian activists to Deliver their Messages.
In Adelaide, similar thing have been observed where people gather to support the protest against Gaza situation called by many people across the country. The fact that these protests were enumerated in different parts of Australia only prove that there is growing interest in international issues by the Australian society.
Nonetheless the workouts appear not to be absolutely innocent. Though there are examples of the leaders of some communities and politicians who are worried that these events might increase tensions between Australian ethnic and religious minorities. Imagination, in one way or another, has been called for with all parties hoping that the protests will not be grounds for social polarization but for productive conversation.
Throughout the day the marches the tension that can be felt in the air is that of anticipation and at the same time people’s concern. The police force has been deployed with more force to the three cities to help protect the demonstrators as well as citizens going about their activities. The authorities have stressed their intention to guarantee freedom of demonstration, on the other hand, the authorities have underlined their ability to provide the public order and avoid any escalation of the situation.
These demonstrations go beyond the geographical input of Australia because international media are following the events closely. This is very important in an effort to explain how the Israel-Gaza conflict transcends regional boundaries and can trigger community demonstrations several thousands of kilometers away from the theatre of conflict.
At the end of this day of protests in Australia, people are forced to think about what really happened in the Israel-Gaza scenario and its effects on global politics and social stability. The days or weeks to come will probably witness further discussion and debate by the intensity of these protests protesting as the nation begins deciding its part with regard to one of the most serious and contentious global issues of our era.
