Unprecedented pro-Palestinian protest of hundreds of thousands in Sydney

Nearly 300,000 supporters of Palestine marched today (Sunday) across the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge in the rain, protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza and showing support for starving children in the besieged territory.

According to The Guardian, the bridge was closed to vehicles from 11:30 a.m. local time. Protesters first gathered at Lang Park in the city center and then, despite heavy rain, crossed the bridge. The march began at 1 p.m., eventually filling the bridge’s entire 1.2 km span.

Josh Lees, one of the main organizers, told The Guardian: “This is even bigger than my wildest dreams. This is a massive march for humanity to stop genocide. Our politicians must now listen to the people and sanction Israel.”

The march was scheduled to end at the U.S. Consulate, but at around 3 p.m., police issued a public SMS alert to mobile phones across the city, ordering the protest to stop due to safety concerns. Authorities stopped demonstrators at the northern end of the bridge and directed them back.

Prominent figures including Julian Assange, founder of the whistleblowing site WikiLeaks, Bob Carr, former Australian Foreign Minister, and Ed Husic, a member of the Australian Parliament, also joined the massive rally.

A senior police official told reporters that this was the largest protest he and another senior colleague had ever witnessed during their service in Sydney. Another official said he had never seen anything like it in his 35 years on the force.

Stephen Lawrence, a UK Member of Parliament, told The Guardian that it is time for Australia and the world to take action: “It is time for Australia to sanction Israel. The people have spoken today. They want the Australian government to do more to stop the genocide in Palestine.”

In response to a question about the New South Wales Premier’s silence after the High Court approved the rally, he said: “It is time for a fundamental shift within the Labor Party regarding the right to protest and our stance on Palestinian demonstrations.”