Alex Bainbridge
Central Sydney was filled with throngs of people — many from the Lebanese and Palestinian communities — as 20,000 people marched on July 22 to protest the bitter injustice of Israel's latest offensive against Lebanon and Palestine.
Indignant that media reports continuously refer to Israel's aggression as "self-defence", countless home-made placards carried pictures of dead, injured or dying children with messages like "Is this the terrorist you were looking for?"
The protest gave expression to the passionate concerns of a community that the establishment media and state and federal governments have done their best to terrorise and intimidate with "anti-terror" laws and by cultivating a culture of fear.
The rally was organised by the Australian Arabic Committee in Solidarity with the People of Lebanon and Palestine, and was supported by peace groups, unions and other community organisations.
Speakers included Shiite Islamic Council representative Kamel Moslemani; Lebanese community leader Abraham Constantine; Sheikh Taj Aldin Alhilali, Andrew Ferguson from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union; Greens Senator Kerry Nettle; Pip Hinman from the Sydney Stop the War Coalition; and Julia Irwin and Linda Burney from the ALP.
The march to the US consulate, which took up both lanes of George Street and several blocks, was loud with Lebanese women and youth leading popular chants of "One, two, three, four — Stop Bush, stop the war", "Down, down George Bush", "Israel, USA, how many kids have you killed today?" and "Free Lebanon, free Palestine, Israel out!"
The crowd stayed on at the US consulate long after the speeches ended, clearly happy with the community response.
Keysar Trad from the Islamic Friendship Association told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that more rallies, and bigger ones, would be needed if Israel did not pull back from its invasion of Lebanon.
In Melbourne, around 6000 people marched from the State Library to Federation Square on July 22, chanting "No more war!" and "Stop the bombing!"
A wide range of community organisations addressed the rally, including Sheikh Fahmi; Taimor Hazou from the Australian Arabic Council; David Spratt from the Victorian Peace Network; and representatives of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Victorian Trades Hall, the Greens and the Lebanese Communist Party, which played a major role in organising the rally. A representative of Australians for Lebanon read a solidarity message for the people of Lebanon.
In Canberra, 250 people protested, while in Adelaide up to 1000 people rallied in the city to hear David Palmer from Adelaide's No War and Paul Heywood-Smith from Friends of Palestine, among other speakers.
Up to 500 people joined a protest in Brisbane, and listened to speeches by Halim Rane from Fair Go for Palestine, Salam el-Merebi from Al Nisa and musician Phil Monsour.
For details of future emergency protest actions against Israel's wars on Palestine and Lebanon, visit .
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, July 26, 2006.
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