Protest a bridge too far? Not when humanity is forgotten

Sydney Morning Herald

31-07-2025

We should all march across the Harbour Bridge with no banners, posters or flags, wearing only white and led by Premier Chris Minns and all parliamentarians (' I support the Harbour Bridge protest – not in spite of my Holocaust heritage, but because of it ', July 31). Strung across the bridge there should be three banners – 'Free the Hostages', 'Feed the Gazans' and 'End the War'. We should march in silence: no war cries or demands because we are honouring the dead, the tortured and the enslaved: Jews, Palestinians, Gazans and Israelis, hostages, freed and still in the tunnels. That silence would echo across the world louder and more powerfully than any political screaming. We would have to do ourselves what we are asking of the Israeli government and of Palestinian leadership: to care more about Gaza's children, the hostages and basic humanity than we do about attacking each other. I am a Jew and a proud Zionist, but you would not be able to keep me away. What about you? Dawn Cohen, Balmain
Those saying that protests about events far away are pointless miss the point (Letters, July 31). Equally, those like Premier Chris Minns and Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Peter McKenna, desperately searching for feeble excuses, should examine their own motivations. The fact is massed marches and demonstrations have often generated significant social and political change. For example, the US civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, climate change, apartheid, Australia's freedom ride, land rights, the Vietnam moratoriums. It is a way for people outraged by injustice to send a powerful message, and leaders who persist in ignoring this do so at their peril. Premier, please approve this peaceful march to avoid conflict. Alison Stewart, Riverview
I must say, I was somewhat surprised by the general tenor of letters with regard to the bridge protest as they were clearly in support, despite the knock on fairly significant traffic detours that would perforce need to be in place. While the motives behind this bridge walk are honourable and have widespread popular support, my only concern is that, following this precedent, everybody with an axe to grind will be after the same privilege. Ross MacPherson, Seaforth
Israel has destroyed its own reputation and the cause of human rights. Nothing in the history of Judaism justifies the nightmare Israel has wreaked on innocents. A descendant of Solomon, I, too, will hobble across the bridge (on crutches, rain or shine): not because I want to but because I have to. We walk for an end to cruelty, for international law, for reason, for humanity, for peace and safety. Jane Salmon, Killara
No surprises that the majority of correspondents are siding with Josh Lees in his stoush with Premier Minns over the right to march for peace in Palestine (Letters, July 31). No surprises also that 2GB shock jock Ben Fordham has, as you reported, employed his trademark style to dismiss Mr Lees as a 'full-time pain in the arse'. Fordham and fellow conservative commentators ignore a fundamental point: nothing, no amount of IDF spin, can hide the horror of Gaza now reaching new depths, with pictures of small children dying of hunger. Instead of taking cheap shots at Lees, Fordham and Minns should concentrate on the deaths of innocent children. Ironically, Premier Minns' stubborn stand seems likely to inspire more Sydneysiders to march on Sunday, some for the first time. Nick Franklin, Katoomba
The premier's view in opposing what seems to be a basic expression of widespread community will is puzzling. The Herald Letters pages and news reports carry a clear message about the feelings of many Australians, including those who live elsewhere than Sydney, on the Gaza issue. One is left to wonder if groups promoting an alternative view of the conflict have excessive lobbying influence with the government, against the wishes of most Australians. Distance from my former home city is the only thing stopping me from joining the march. Brian Kidd, Mt Waverley (Vic)
We direct our ire at the side that was invaded, whose people are still held captive by Hamas, but there's nary a criticism of the side that started the war, continues to hold hostages and is, in fact, the elected government of Gaza, which remarkably still enjoys support. Hamas has not surrendered, seems determined to continue to fight, is subjecting its people to the relentless onslaught of a more powerful enemy, and is relying on useful idiots in the West to use protest to end a war they started, a war they could easily end tomorrow if they truly cared for their people. And we want to shut down Sydney to do their bidding. Leave me out of it, thanks. Rob Fraser, Balmain
As Australians, we value free speech as a right, but we value the access to unblocked roads just as much. Protest marches were important in the past to get a message spread. Today, the message is spread by electronic media just as well from a fixed protest site as from a march, without the additional expense of traffic control and extra policing. Street parades are important for socially cohesive events, but protest marches with tribal flag waving and potential violent escalation only divide our society. Let's gather in our parks to debate while leaving the roads to their primary purpose. Hugh Wolfenden, Bellevue Hill
Two sides
Those who suggest everything in Gaza would be fine if Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages are only telling half the story (Letters, July 31). Hamas is not the only side in this conflict that is holding hostages. Hamas abducted 251 people on October 7, 2023. In the days following, Israel rounded up thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank and threw them in jail. As Hamas has released its hostages, Israel has released some of its Palestinian detainees, many of whom have claimed to have been tortured. So it is hard to see how Israel can claim the high moral ground on the subject of imprisoning innocent people. Additionally, does anyone honestly think that when Hamas releases the last of its hostages Israel will stop bombing Gaza and give its citizens full access to food, water and medical facilities? Unlikely. Many in the government consider Gazans to be illegally squatting on land that God gave to Israel. Mike Reddy, Vincentia
Our prime minister is right to resist pressure from Britain (' Albanese resists call to join UK plans for recognising Palestine ', July 31). Keir Starmer's call to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel takes urgent steps towards peace will simply hand the game to Hamas. What constitutes 'steps towards peace'? Hamas can just continue to wage its dirty campaign in Gaza, thereby causing further deterioration of the wellbeing of Gazans while the Israeli forces have no choice but to fight on – and the UK will hand Palestine statehood. Australia should not reward Hamas for causing so much suffering to Palestinian civilians for political gains. Kim Woo, Mascot
Greens need to wise up
Shaun Carney's analysis of the 'unlikeable Greens' is spot-on (' Can the greens change their spots? ' July 31). Political progressiveness is beneficial if it's practical and fosters improvement in people's lives. But, as the Max Chandler-Mather case shows, overdoing it to the point of blocking good legislation is counter-productive. Our politics tends to the centre and the Greens have been green, in the sense of naive, in their ultra-positivity. If leader Larissa Waters is to restore her party's fortunes, she will have to be strong-minded enough to cope with the likes of Adam Bandt and Bob Brown barking in the background. Listen to them, yes, but maybe not always heed them. Representing the views of about one-eighth of the electorate by improving legislation can put the Greens back on the political map if Waters can convince the likes of Mehreen Faruqi to tone it down. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne
Shaun Carney's column should be required reading for members of the Greens movement. Like many, I was an early supporter of the Greens in the Upper House, thinking that they were, as Carney suggests, 'legislative gatekeepers'. But they lost me back in the Rudd years when they sided with the LNP to block common-sense environmental legislation, thus creating decades of LNP inactivity in government. Greens leader Larissa Waters seems reasonable, unlike some of her colleagues, but faces a tough job to re-establish the Greens as a credible force rather than a font of impossible demands. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne
The Greens. What a disappointment. Bob Brown's legacy? Stopping us having a carbon price when Kevin Rudd put it to Parliament and helping Scott Morrison win the 2019 election by leading a protest to Queensland coal areas and telling the employees that global warming is all their fault. I was so relieved when Adam Bandt took the leadership but we just got more of the same – obstruction with a capital 'O'. 'Do it our way or else'. A real shame. Please, let's not have more of the same. Please, Larissa Waters, demonstrate that you are adults and help Labor move Australia forward, rather than just stopping everything. Then, perhaps, you might win back my vote. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach
Trump snubs us
Matthew Knott's article about the continued absence of a US ambassador is just more evidence of something no commentator seems willing to discuss (' Trump administration in no rush to appoint ambassador ', July 31). Isn't it totally obvious that Donald Trump is deliberately snubbing Australia? Opposition politicians repeatedly criticise our PM about not meeting the US president while ignoring the fact that it is Trump who prevents such a meeting. He is not content to limit his influence across his own country. He wants to change the president of Brazil, the Lord Mayor of London, the spread of windmills in Europe and almost every office of the United Nations. Clearly, he wants us to know that he's not happy we replaced Scott Morrison with Anthony Albanese. Don Firth, Wooli
Well, knock me over with a feather (' Egads, Trump isn't all bad. He's even had some success', July 31) – a New York Times journalist writes a balanced opinion piece on Donald Trump. I look forward to reading all the letters to the editor on Friday expressing outrage at such conclusions. Riley Brown, Bondi Beach
AI fits and starts
Atlassian touts the productivity benefits from using AI while announcing that 150 staff will lose their jobs (' Tech chief spruiks AI as 150 lose jobs ', July 31). So a tick for productivity but a clear message that a focus on technology for technology's sake is a looming failure – with a lack of thought about the social impacts. Improved productivity is essentially the rise of the machine and fall of human labour, with no clear alternatives. As the government's productivity summit approaches, perhaps politicians would do well to consider using AI to raise productivity in government. More technologists and fewer bureaucrats will lower costs, which can use AI to address the most critical issue and the real elephant in the room – a lack of understanding and preparation for enormous and inevitable social change. Robert Caraian, Crows Nest
Some sectors such as construction and mining (which together account for just 11 per cent of the total workforce) may have relatively simple metrics to define productivity. But what about service industries such as education, health care, social services (child care and aged care) and public administration? These collectively employ nearly a third of Australia's workforce. For decades the measure favoured by our politicians has been headcount (and hence reported cost). How are our politicians and economists going to factor quality of service into the productivity debate so the historic decline in public health, public education and public administration does not continue? Peter Cuk, St Ives
Best for koalas
The promised national park that gives a healthy koala population a home once again rests on the untested assumption that the declaration of more national parks is improving koala habitat (' New national park safeguards koala corridor ', July 31). Without active management to reduce feral predators and provide young eucalypt regeneration, koalas will not benefit from such a declaration. Since the early 1980s, successive NSW governments have increased the area of national park from two million hectares to nearly seven million. Yet the koalas don't seem to have been impressed. Meanwhile, politicians, bureaucrats and activists have been resistant to calls for scientific monitoring of whether this vast and costly experiment has been effective. Calls for further transfers of actively managed forests and plantations into a koala national park on the North Coast should be rejected until there is evidence that it would benefit koalas. These are prime koala habitat because they have been actively managed and regenerated for at least 50 years, and in many cases well over a century. Dave Cromarty, Lavington
Courses still costly
Regarding the Morrison government's fee schedule for arts subjects (' One uni subject costs $578, the other $2124. What would the average student choose? ' July 30) it was determined on purely ideological grounds by someone sharing Tony Abbot's well-known preference for the Western tradition and his desire to discourage more recent disciplines, as well as subjects fostering creative activities and critical thinking. Thus ancient Greek, Latin, French and (English) literature, as well as art history were to be given strong support while psychology, creative writing, Aboriginal studies, not to mention media studies, gender studies and political theory were to be actively discouraged. All this is quite obvious, but it is more difficult to understand why the previous Albanese government did not reverse these decisions in the first three months after its election in 2022. Prof. Ivan Barko, Randwick
The big increase in the cost of arts degrees was not a stuff-up of the Morrison government Ken Pares (Letters, July 31), it was deliberate, ideological bastardry. Alynn Pratt, Balmain
Lesson learned
Your story about the lottery reminds me of a story in the Herald from some 50 years back (' The holder of a $100m Bondi lotto ticket still hasn't come forward ', July 30). A girl from the Blue Mountains celebrated finishing her Leaving Certificate exams with a lottery ticket, which won first prize. Encouraged, she bought another ticket in the next lottery for her favourite teacher. That ticket also won the lucky teacher first prize. What were the odds of that? Ken Finlayson, East Corrimal