Anti-Israel protesters occupy roof of Australia’s parliament, unfurl banners
Protest group displays slogan ‘From the river to the sea,’ uses symbols employed by Hamas, while accusing Canberra of complicity in alleged Gaza war crimes
CANBERRA — A few anti-Israel protesters climbed the roof of Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, unfurled banners and accused Israel of war crimes and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of complicity in the Gaza fighting.
Footage showed four people clad in black and wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves on the roof of the building, unfurling several black banners including one reading, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a common refrain that critics say is a call for the elimination of Israel.
The banners also included a red triangle, a symbol used by the Palestinian terror group Hamas in propaganda videos to mark targets of its attacks.
One of the protesters used a megaphone to give a speech accusing the Israeli government of war crimes, an accusation it rejects.
“We will not forget, we will not forgive and we will continue to resist,” the protester said.
A handful of police and security advised people not to walk directly under the protest at the main entrance to the building, while other officers were seen on the roof attempting to remove the protesters, a Reuters witness said.
Meanwhile in Canberra watch these protestors on the parliament room #Auspol pic.twitter.com/l9Pbgrl4qh
— ???????????????????????????????? ???? ???????????? ???????????????? ℙ????????ℙ???????? ™ (@kelliekelly23) July 4, 2024
Protest group Renegade Activists told Australian media they would “not forget” and “not forgive” Albanese, accusing him of complicity in the Gaza Strip’s bloodiest-ever war.
The protesters packed up their banners before being led away by waiting police at around 11:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT), about an hour after the protest started.
“This is a serious breach of the Parliament’s security,” opposition Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson said in a post on social media platform X.
“The building was modified at great expense to prevent incursions like this. An investigation is required.”
The war in Gaza began when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing 1,200 people. Terrorists also abducted 251 people of all ages who were taken as hostages to Gaza.
Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas, topple its Gaza regime, and free the hostages of whom 116 remain in captivity.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 37,500 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, a toll that cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 15,000 combatants in battle and some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 attack.
Since the war began Australia has, like other countries, seen pro-Palestinian protests, including weekly demonstrations in major cities and occupations of university campuses.
The ruling Labor Party indefinitely suspended a senator, Fatima Payman, on Monday after she crossed the floor of the Senate to vote in favor of a motion backing Palestinian statehood.
Payman said she had been “exiled” after supporting the parliamentary motion — put forward by the Greens party — in defiance of government policy.
Australia does not currently recognize Palestinian statehood, though Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in May it could do so before a formal peace process between Israel and Palestinian authorities is complete. Canberra has expressed its support for an eventual two-state solution.
