Latest reports confirm that over 200,000 people crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday, August 3, in a landmark protest calling for sanctions against the State of Israel and urgent action over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The march (possibly the largest Palestine solidarity demonstration in Australian history) follows nearly two years of weekly rallies across the city. The Palestinian Action Group, which has led this community action, say the mass turnout reflects growing public opposition to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza and the Australian government’s continued arms trade.
At least 127 Palestinians, including 85 children, have died from starvation, and hundreds more have been shot and killed by the Israeli Defence Force while queuing for aid in recent weeks, according to human rights monitors.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who joined the march, said: “Today, Sydney stood with humanitarians across the world. With one voice we demand more of national leaders: work harder, desperately, urgently, to break the cycle of violence.”
Moore has also championed local action, including City of Sydney’s endorsement of the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. In February, council passed a motion to review contracts with companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements.
“This is a genocide,” the Palestinian Action Group said, adding that Australians will march until our government ends the weapons trade, expels the Israeli ambassador, and imposes sanctions on Israel.
Sunday’s protest echoed the 2000 Bridge Walk for Reconciliation, another moment when Sydneysiders gathered in large numbers to call for justice. But history shows that a single march, no matter how large, is only part of the picture. Organisers say the momentum from Sunday needs to carry into ongoing grassroots work — through local campaigns, union efforts, and sustained pressure on decision-makers. It’s this combination of mass mobilisation and long-term organising that has the best chance of shifting policy and ending complicity.
