‘We are watching’: Palestine protest organiser issues demand to PM as police dispute numbers
By Brittney Deguara and William Davis
A day after tens of thousands turned out for pro-Palestine protests in Brisbane, one organiser has challenged Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to heed her group’s message and sanction trade with Israel.
The two-hour march from Queens Park in the Brisbane CBD to Musgrave Park in South Brisbane on Sunday afternoon was part of a national day of action in dozens of towns and cities across Australia, organised by the Palestine Action Group and endorsed by Amnesty International.
Remah Naji from the activist group Justice for Palestine Magan-djin told Nine’s Today show that the turnout was “one of the largest protests in the city’s history”, estimating attendance at 50,000.
Justice for Palestine Magan-djin organiser Remah Naji.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt
“We want this government to sanction trade,” Naji, who was the Greens’ candidate for Moreton in the last federal election, said.
“This should send a clear message [that] there’s no amount of rhetoric, amount of statements and condemnations that’s going absolve them of the responsibility to act in accordance with international law to prevent and punish genocide.”
Her crowd numbers have been disputed by police, with Acting Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman saying he could “categorically state there was 10,000” people in attendance.
“We know, for a fact, that you can fit 7000 people at a maximum inside that park [Queens Gardens],” he said on Sunday evening.
“The fact that the park was full and the fact that some of the crowd spilled out into the surrounding roadways … is a very good indication for us that we know it’s 10,000.”
When asked by Today about a green and white Hamas flag seen flying at the protest, Naji said she was not aware of it.
“I was aware of the tens of thousands of people who were from all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, genders and sexualities [who came together] to send a clear message to our government,” she said.
She went on to say Albanese must “prove you’re not entirely disconnected, because we are watching and we won’t stop”.
Wildman said on Sunday night that police were aware of reports about the Hamas flag, and were taking the matter very seriously.
“That’s a Commonwealth offence … we are keen to speak to that particular male and the investigation is very much alive,” he said.
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