Over the past 15 months, we rallied every week in solidarity with Palestinians. We rallied to protest the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We rallied to call on our government to cut military ties with Israel, impose sanctions and hold Israel accountable for its crimes. We rallied to prevent the normalisation of the unthinkable. And we rallied to help Palestinians retain hope in the midst of an apocalypse.
The Sydney weekly rally, like rallies in other Australian cities and indeed cities around the world, is attended by a diverse group of people. There are Australians of all backgrounds, white, black, and brown, Moslems, Christians, Jews, and atheists, young and old, fit and in wheelchairs, straight and gay, rich and poor. And for all its diversity it is a community. One walks into Hyde Park feeling a sense of shared humanity. People smile at strangers, strike up conversations, and hug old and new friends.
Before marching we listen to a number of speeches. The speakers mirror the diversity of the rallyists. There have been indigenous Australians, anti-Zionist Jews, Greens senators, Palestinian Australians, university professors, student activists, and some very eloquent young children. The speakers address various aspects of Israel’s violence against Palestinians and the Palestinians’ long struggle for justice and freedom. And they elicit a wide range of emotions. Some powerful speakers dispel myths and lies and leave one indignant at injustice and oppression. The anguish of other speakers moves one to tears. And when the speaker is a Palestinian who has lost loved ones in the current genocide, the pain and grief are palpable. I remember the numerous excellent speakers who inspired and moved me over the past fifteen months. All have one thing in common; a hefty dose of moral courage. They speak up for the oppressed, contradicting the oppressor’s narrative and risking being smeared as anti-Semitic. I hesitate to name any because there are too many to name. But I will name the brilliant speakers whom I have befriended and of whom I have grown very fond: Professor Peter Slezak, Jepke Goudsmit and Michelle Berkon from ‘Jews Against the Occupation ’48’, and Taveet from ‘Tzedek Collective’ who taught us the meaning of the Yiddish word ‘shanda’.
The weekly Palestine solidarity rallies have changed the way we socialise. My friends and I used to meet for Sunday lunches. Now we meet on Saturdays and keep Sundays free. No one wants to miss the rally. No one wants to forgo supporting the Palestinians while Gaza burns. And certainly not in order to feast while Gaza starves.
None of us thought we would be still attending weekly protest rallies fifteen months later but then none of us imagined that the brutal slaughter and destruction could possibly last for fifteen months. It was simply inconceivable that the world would stand by and let this happen. But here we are, with Israel having crossed every red line and the international order in tatters.
Of all the slogans we chant as we march down the streets of the Sydney CBD, my favourite is ‘We are the People. We won’t be silenced’. Particularly pertinent these days given the various attempts to stop us marching and deny us our right to protest (a genocide of all things).
In addition to the weekly rallies, there are a host of events such as webinars, conversations and film screenings organised by the Palestine Justice Movements and other organisations. Many are organised and moderated by the indefatigable, Gaza-born Palestinian activist Ahmed Alabadla, one of the founders of Palestine Justice Movement.
These excellent events help us understand the history and experience of the Zionist project in Palestine, and the history of the Palestinian struggle for liberation. The speakers are always knowledgeable with years of research in the field and, in many cases, personal experience of the issues they raise. Below are a few examples of these events.
Many of those organising events in solidarity with Palestinians have been doing so for years, and sometimes decades. Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians did not start 15 months ago and will not end with Sunday’s ceasefire. The ceasefire is a welcome reprieve from the massacres and devastation but the struggle for Palestinian liberation is far from over.
Sawsan Madina
Sawsan Madina is former Head of SBS Television