Sydney: Mehreen Faruqi, Australia’s the New South Wales senator for the Greens party, called for the “harshest sanctions on Israel” while accusing its military of “massacring” Palestinians in Gaza, and criticised New South Wales Premier Chris Minns for saying the protest should not go ahead.
She has told protesters gathered at central Sydney’s Lang Park that the march would “make history”.
It comes as the march was given the go-ahead with legal protection after its organisers won a Supreme Court challenge.
Chris Minns had said the government could not support a protest of 50,000 people across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, claiming he could not “allow Sydney to descend into chaos”.
Australian Labor backbench MP Ed Husic also attended the march and called for his governing party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to recognise Palestinian statehood.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange joins Sydney protest
Assange is among those attending Sunday’s pro-Palestine march in Australia’s largest city.
The transparency activist, who moved back to his native Australia last year, after reaching a plea deal with the US government to avoid possible life imprisonment for publishing classified government information, was not scheduled to speak at the protest.
Scottish First Minister says ‘clear’ there is a ‘genocide in Palestine’
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has told reporters “it’s quite clear that there is a genocide in Palestine – it can’t be disputed.
“I have seen reports of terrible atrocities which have the character of being genocide,” Swinney added, Scotland’s The National newspaper reported.
“I’ve expressed that and obviously it’s not reached all those individuals, but that’s my feeling,” Swinney added, in remarks he made after pro-Palestinian protesters repeatedly interrupted an event where he was speaking, at the Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh.
Asked about Scotland’s government funding apprenticeships at companies building weapons to send to Israel, he said the government was applying “due diligence checks … unreservedly”.
