100,000 gather on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia, for pro-Palestinian protest

About 100,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia in the rain to protest against Israel's actions in Gaza on Sunday. The protestors showed up after the Australian court rejected a police order to prohibit the protest.

The protesters walked across the landmark at about 2 pm ACT, chanting “free, free Palestine”.  The Organiser Palestine Action Group said that the protest was to draw attention to the famine in Gaza, as reported in the Canberra Times. Several protesters carried pots and pans to highlight the starvation in Gaza as well as Palestinian signage. 

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange joined the rally and was seen leading the crowd along with former foreign minister Bob Carr, carrying a “Save Gaza” placard. Others in the crowd included several Labour MPs, Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster and former boxer and rugby league star Anthony Mundine. 

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi spoke before the walk began, saying, “Thank you for defying Chris Minns,” she said. “This is a man who wants you to stay home and be silent in the face of a genocide.” Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales, had said earlier, “We cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos.” 

“It was never about logistics. It was never about traffic. It was never about communications or anything else. It was always about stopping us and silencing us. It was always about protecting Israel and the Labour government from accountability.” Faruqi said, according to the Guardian. 

The famous bridge was closed in the morning hours on Sunday as protesters gathered in Lang Park. In the afternoon, the New South Wales police sent out a text message ordering an end to the march. 

NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter McKenna said that the crowd was the largest he had seen in Sydney. "We were really overwhelmed with numbers," he said. A police helicopter was also sent out with instructions for the protestors to turn around and walk back to the city.  

The estimates of the number of protestors varied. The NSW police said that the estimates put the crowd at 90,000; however, a spokesperson for the rally said that the number was closer to 300,000.

Riot Police were spotted at the King Street Bridge in Melbourne, where about 25,000 protesters also marched on the same day, reported 9News.

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