On Sunday, Australians will gather across the country for mass rallies led by the Palestine Action Group and proudly endorsed by Amnesty International Australia. This National Day of Action will call for urgent, concrete steps from the Australian Government, not just words, to put an end to the genocide in Gaza.
Amnesty International Australia supports and endorses this day of national action. We urge Australians to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, to demand that the Government act decisively to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza and end the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
We call on law enforcement authorities to uphold and protect the fundamental right to peaceful protest. Any attempt by police to prevent these rallies is not only deeply concerning, but also an act of repression that risks setting a dangerous precedent for the suppression of protest rights in Australia. We urge Queensland Police not to obstruct the planned protest on the Brisbane Story Bridge, but instead to facilitate a safe and peaceful rally.
The right to protest is a protected right under international law and a vital tool for people to call for urgent accountability and demand justice, especially in the face of ongoing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by Israel with full impunity. Ongoing and past efforts to suppress the right to protest for Palestine in Australia and globally over the past three years remain gravely concerning.
Following the historic March for Humanity, where an estimated 300,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, public pressure on the Government has continued to grow. We welcome recent statements and commitments, including Prime Minister Albanese’s call for Israel to comply with international law and allow full humanitarian access, the Government’s commitment to recognising Palestinian statehood, and Foreign Affairs Minister Wong’s pledge of an additional $20 million in aid. Yet, these words remain woefully inadequate.
The Government must now move beyond mere words
It must take concrete action to end the genocide, dismantle Israel’s system of apartheid, and halt its unlawful occupation.
Australians are demanding that the Government not risk complicity in Israel’s crimes, especially following confirmation of Australia’s role in supplying F-35 components to Israel. With Israel’s announced ground invasion of Gaza, the call is clear: Australia must demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, impose a two-way arms embargo and act to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson, says:
“We have witnessed Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists, in an attempt to silence documentation of the genocide in Gaza. But that won’t stop Australians from taking to the streets to demand real action.
“For 22 months, Palestinians have endured horror after horror, war crime after war crime. This genocide has persisted for far too long, and Israel’s actions are morally and legally indefensible.
“Australians not only have the rights freedom of expression and assembly, but a moral duty to do everything we can to ensure the Australian Government takes urgent action to stop Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. People across the country have been showing up and fulfilling that duty, but the pressure cannot stop now.
“As Israel’s genocide continues to claim tens of thousands of Palestinian lives, the Australian Government must do more than speak. It must act. Thousands are taking to the streets to send that message loud and clear. They are demanding real, urgent action from their leaders.”
Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson
“As Israel’s genocide continues to claim tens of thousands of Palestinian lives, the Australian Government must do more than speak. It must act. Thousands are taking to the streets to send that message loud and clear. They are demanding real, urgent action from their leaders.”
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