Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in Melbourne CBD amid Port of Melbourne blockade Posted 2 hours ago Police say about 4,000 people attended the protest in Melbourne CBD.(ABC News) Quick read In short: About 4,000 demonstrators have met in Melbourne CBD to support Palestinians and call for a ceasefire in Gaza. A small group of people has continued to block workers from unloading an Israeli-owned ship at the Port of Melbourne. What's next? A state government minister says people should be able to move in and out of their workplace without fear of their safety. Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and freedom for Palestinians have rallied in the Melbourne CBD for the 15th week in a row as other demonstrators blocked an Israeli ship from a city dock. Victoria Police said about 4,000 people attended the rally, which started at the State Library of Victoria before moving through the streets of Melbourne towards Parliament House. The event had been billed as a rally to protest the sacking of journalist Antoinette Lattouf by the ABC. The crowd chanted "shame" as she was mentioned once, however speakers focused largely on the thousands of people killed in Gaza and an ongoing blockade at the Port of Melbourne. Many people wore keffiyehs and waved Palestinian flags.(ABC News) The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll had reached nearly 25,000 since the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7. A revised Israeli death toll for those terror attacks is 1,139. Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the months of consecutive peaceful protests appeared to have "fallen on deaf ears" as the siege in Gaza continued, and said it was "time to elevate our action". Writer Clementine Ford addressed the crowd.(ABC News) Writer Clementine Ford said Israel had been enacting a "brutal and extremely well-documented genocide in Gaza". The protest came amid an ongoing blockade at the Port of Melbourne, which has for more than two days prevented an Israeli-owned ship from being unloaded. The protesters have been gathering at Webb Dock since Friday to block workers from unloading cargo from the ZIM ship. Protesters at Webb Dock Drive on Sunday afternoon.(ABC News) Officers used capsicum spray and arrested one person on Saturday morning for spitting at police. A Victoria Police spokesperson said: "Around 85 protesters were asked to move off private property around 4am [on Saturday] when some became hostile and aggressive. "A 32-year-old Yarraville woman was interviewed, charged with assault police and bailed to appear in court at a later date." Three of those who have been involved in the blockade spoke at Sunday's rally and urged demonstrators to join them at the dock. "If Gaza is going to be blocked, then every single Israeli commercial site will also be blocked," demonstrator Tasnim Sammak said. The crowd at the dock grew on Sunday afternoon as people left the rally, many chanting "block the dock". The crowd marched through the city after listening to speeches.(ABC News) Government minister Harriet Shing said the government supported the right to peaceful protest, but said it was important police were in a position to minimise the risk to the public. "People should be able to exit and enter their premises without fear to their health and to their safety," Ms Shing said. Shadow Attorney-General Michael O'Brien on Saturday called on the government to restore Victoria Police's "move-on" powers. The ABC has attempted to contact ZIM, the Maritime Union of Australia and Victoria International Terminal Company.
Do you feel sypathy for killed Gazans No, I don’t. They not only elected Hamas. They supported Hamas. They worked for Hamas. They glorified Hamas. Just look at them celebrating deaths of innocent Jewish children killed by Hamas. Look at them dancing around the body of a Jewish girl raped and murdered by Hamas. Look at them screaming “Allah Akbar” in support of Hamas after the slaughter in Israel that took at least 1300 lives of unarmed civilians. But everything has its price. So now they face the consequences of their stupidity, fanaticism and inhuman brutality. Hamas leadership is responsible for the deaths of 21,000+Gazans and are now looking for a deal with Israel which will guarantee their own personal safety. Has anybody ever said that the leadership of Hamas are true warriors?
And that's the poison of ethnonationalism. Assuming all you said is true and not just shitty hasbara, as anyone can reverse image search your "oct 7 celebration image" and see it's false, I still wouldn't be celebrating the Arab world bombing Israel, and inflicting 20x the casualties of Palestine just because some dumb Israeli tiktoker kids were celebrating the murder of innocent civilians and cheering the trash government they elected. Decent folk would condemn and rightly call 400k dead a genocide.
This is nothing more than rambling idiotic nonsense. People may want to remember that Hamas has killed more Palestinians since 2005 in Gaza than Israel. The oppressive power in Gaza is Hamas. Why don't you ask the gays in Gaza how their lives are under Hamas? Or people who supported Fatah? Or any other Palestinian in Gaza that Hamas took a dislike to?
As she pointed out, if there was no Hamas then some other gang would take power in the prison called Gaza.
So did a violent gang take power in the West Bank? Or is the West Bank being run by Fatah which is trying to arrive at peaceful solutions towards a two party state? The claim that some other violent gang would simply take over Gaza is bunk. Any group who has a charter calling for the elimination of Israel and the killing of all the Jews should not be in power.