Latest news with #FreePalestineMelbourne
Herald Sun
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Sun
Pro-Palestine activists wreak havoc in wild protest at Melb Central
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News. Shoppers and retail staff were forced to take cover in stores and behind security shutters as frantic scenes broke out at Melbourne Central amid a pro-Palestine rally on Saturday afternoon. The havoc started just before 2pm, when dozens of activists stormed the centre as part of a 'national day of protest' calling for Australia to 'cut ties with Trump's America'. Melbourne's version of the rally, initiated by Students for Palestine, kicked off an hour earlier outside the State Library in the CBD at 1pm. Several groups, including Free Palestine Melbourne, Students for Palestine and the Victorian Socialists, were in attendance with many seen handing out flyers to passer-by's ahead of the rally. Among those in the crowd was federal Victorian Socialists candidate for Fraser Jasmine Duff — who was also a prominent player in the Deakin University encampment — and several other university students who led encampments across the city's tertiary institutions last year. Meanwhile, Free Palestine Melbourne lead organiser Mai Saif, socialist and union activist Jerome Small and human rights activist Rathy Barthlote were among the speakers at the event. They described US President Donald Trump as a 'billionaire nepo-baby' who was a 'symbol of racism' and an advocate for 'cruel policies'. They also called for the '$168b monstrosity that is the AUKUS submarine bill' to be scrapped, for Australia to shut down all US bases and stressed that Mr Trump was 'not welcome here'. The rally then spilled out onto Swanston St as protesters began to march through the city at 1.45pm, forcing Yarra Trams' incident response team to close off some tram tracks and Victoria Police to control traffic to keep everyone safe. But the mostly peaceful rally took a chaotic turn just after 2pm, when protesters marching down Lonsdale St targeted Melbourne Central shopping centre. Centre security tried to block all major entrances before the protesters arrived, but it wasn't enough to stop them running through one entryway with their banners and flags. Shoppers and families were forced to scramble out of the way as protesters ran through the centre, with some stores pulling down roller shutters to stop them from entering. One father was forced to shield his infant child's ears from the ruckus as protesters' chants echoed throughout the centre. At one stage a fight broke out between a protester and passer-by in front of the Optus store, with the protester being flung to the ground. Centre security quickly intervened before a bigger fight could break out. The protesters left the centre 10 minutes after storming through it, before wrapping up their rally just before 2.20pm. Saturday's protest came as further anti-Trump rallies were held on the streets of Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Wollongong. It also followed an earlier anti-Trump rally held in Melbourne last month.
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
‘The Population Faces Starvation': Australia Joins Calls for More Aid to Gaza
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has joined 22 international partners calling for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. Despite Israel agreeing to more aid for Gaza in recent days, Australia and other foreign countries believe it is not enough. 'The population faces starvation. Gaza's people must receive the aid they desperately need,' the joint statement from Wong and her foreign counterparts said. 'Whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid, Israel blocked humanitarian aid entering Gaza for over two months. Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted.' This comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to provide a 'basic quantity' of food to Gaza and 'minimal assistance' to stop a humanitarian crisis while their military operations continue. Supporting the statement were the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Several high-ranking EU officials also signed off on the call for action. Related Stories 1/16/2025 12/6/2024 The statement said Israel's security cabinet had reportedly approved a new model for delivering aid into Gaza, which the 'U.N. and our humanitarian partners cannot support.' 'They are clear that they will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles. Humanitarian principles matter for every conflict around the world and should be applied consistently in every warzone,' the statement 'Prior to the aid block, the U.N. and humanitarian NGOs delivered aid into Gaza, working with great courage, at the risk of their lives and in the face of major access challenges imposed by Israel.' The signees of the statement said they were humanitarian donors who had two straightforward messages for the Israeli government. 'Allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately and enable the U.N. and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives, reduce suffering, and maintain dignity,' they said. The countries also still support a two-state solution. 'It is our firm conviction that an immediate return to a ceasefire and working towards the implementation of a two-state solution are the only way to bring peace and security to Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long-term stability for the whole region,' the statement said. Pro-Palestine activist group Free Palestine Melbourne called for the Albanese government to 'massively increase humanitarian aid to Gaza in a Facebook post on May 20. The group also demanded that the Albanese government 'break all ties with Israel' and 'commit to arresting Netanyahu if he visits.' However, the Australian Jewish Association took issue with the joint statement and accused Wong of yet another 'anti-Israel slander' in a post to X. What's Going on in Gaza? Netanyahu offered to allow food aid into Gaza following initial pressure from some of Israel's closest allies. In a video posted to X, Netanyahu explained Israel's 'Therefore, to achieve victory, we need to somehow solve the problem,' Netanyahu said. In a statement, Netanyahu's office added, 'At the recommendation of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), and out of the operational need to enable the expansion of intense fighting to defeat Hamas, Israel will allow a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip.' Israel started a massive military campaign on May 17 aimed at securing the release of the Israeli hostages, controlling Gaza and defeating Hamas. This follows an ongoing conflict that heated up on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.
