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As Gaza prepared for a ground offensive by Israeli forces, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters began gathering in rallies across the country.
Australians in Canberra, Brisbane and Perth have gathered in support of heavily bombed Palestinians as Israel continues to send warplanes to Gaza in response to attacks by Hamas militants.
Attendees in Canberra were seen peacefully waving flags, while a small group of counter-protesters stood nearby holding signs.
Considered Israel’s 9/11, Hamas launched its deadliest attack on the country on Saturday, firing 3,500 rockets into the disputed territory.
Israel has warned 1.1 million civilians in northern Gaza that they have 24 hours to move south, with its military chief declaring that “now is the time for war”.
Protesters at the Canberra rally called on the Australian government to do more to support Palestinians under siege.
One leader wanted the government to “condemn Israel’s violations of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention and UN resolutions”.
The rallies in Canberra and Brisbane come on the same day as NSW Premier Chris Minns urged residents of his state not to attend protests planned for this weekend in Sydney.
“Obviously, I’m concerned about the Assembly meeting on Sunday,” Mr Minns told the media on Friday.
NSW Police revealed they could use extraordinary powers to search for people planning to attend a pro-Palestine protest after anti-Semitic slogans were raised at a previous rally organized by the same group.
Acting Commissioner David Hudson said, “We want to look for people who we think may protest or who have expressed an interest in protesting, based on the experiences of weapons and fire, Monday night.” Is.”
Mr Minns has repeatedly condemned the actions of the protesters on Monday night, despite organizers claiming they were a “small group” of “vile anti-Semitic attendees” who were not connected to the rally.
“Now, I think it’s fair to note that whether that protest was hijacked or had malicious intent from the beginning, it doesn’t matter,” he said.
“The protest organizers have proven to NSW Police, the Government, the people of NSW that they cannot manage a peaceful protest.”
Mr Minns had a dire warning for Sydneysiders if Monday’s scenes were repeated over the weekend.
“It would be devastating to Sydney’s sense of togetherness, our multicultural, multi-faith community, we cannot see those scenes again and the police have every right to protect and ensure those scenes over the weekend are not repeated.” Go,” he said. Said.
