Australia holds a rally for Palestine by millions

Australia holds a rally for Palestine by millions.

A huge rally in support of Palestine took place in Australia on Sunday. Millions of people took part in the rally held today. The country's government recently decided to recognize Palestine as a state. After that, there was a slight rift in relations between Israel and Australia.

 

The Palestine Action Group, the organizer of the rally, said that protests took place in more than 40 places across Australia. A large presence was seen in the state capitals of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. They claim that about 350,000 people joined these rallies across the country. About 50,000 people participated in Brisbane alone. However, the police estimate that the number of participants in Brisbane was around 10,000. There was no official police estimate for the Sydney and Melbourne crowds.

Josh Lees, the organizer of the Sydney rally, said that Australians took to the streets to "demand an end to the massacre in Gaza and to demand that the government impose sanctions on Israel." Many of the participants in the rally held Palestinian flags. At that time, they chanted the slogan "Free, free Palestine".

 

Alex Rivchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jews, an organization of Jews in Australia, told Sky News television that these rallies are creating an unsafe environment. They should not be happening.

 

On August 11, the Australian government announced its decision to recognize the state of Palestine. A few days earlier, thousands of people marched on Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge demanding peace and relief for Gaza.

The decision to recognize Palestine has led to tensions between Israel and Australia that have not been seen in decades. Top politicians from the two countries have criticized each other on this issue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has personally attacked the Australian Prime Minister. Israel has canceled the visas of Australian diplomats posted in the West Bank. In contrast, an Israeli lawmaker was not allowed to enter Australia.