Key Points
- John Shipton addressed thousands of people gathered for a pro-Palestine rally outside the State Library of Victoria on Sunday.
- Julian Assange's father has warned the bombing of Gaza has only incited more rage and a hunger for justice.
- Rallies were expected to be held in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth also.
The bombing of Gaza has only incited more rage and a hunger for justice across the world, Julian Assange's father has warned.
John Shipton addressed thousands of people gathered for a pro-Palestine rally outside the State Library of Victoria on Sunday.
He listed the casualties from other conflicts in the Middle East, saying there was a cloud of grief and rage over the region that has only grown since the war in Gaza.
Other pro-Palestine rallies were scheduled to be held on Sunday in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Source: AAP / James Ross
"I can tell you - rage, a hunger for justice that's swept around the globe and embraced every human being that is sentient enough to have sympathy for another."
Julian Assange's father John Shipton told the rally the bombing of Gaza would only incite rage. The Melbourne protest was the latest demonstration held in capital cities across Australia since the war started in Israel and Gaza.
Watermelon flags are sometimes used to show solidarity with Palestinians because they have the same colours. Source: AAP / James Ross
Since then, Israel has bombed much of Gaza City to rubble, ordered the depopulation of the entire northern half of the enclave and left homeless around two-thirds of the strip's 2.3 million Palestinians.
on Gaza, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
People participate in a Pro-Palestine demonstration in Melbourne. Source: AAP / James Ross
She said the federal government must denounce what she described as the "genocide" in Gaza.
"Bloody hell - they can't even bring themselves to join the chorus of nations that are calling for a ceasefire," Ms Faruqi told the crowd.
"Shame on them... we will not shut up."
Other pro-Palestine rallies were scheduled to be held on Sunday in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
On Saturday, the federal government announced fresh sanctions against a number of Hamas members, operatives and financial facilitators, as well as a currency exchange owned by one individual.
The Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council said the announcement was a "step in the right direction".
"The war in Gaza is under way because Israel has to urgently remove Hamas' ability to wage war against Israelis and also give Palestinians living under its tyrannical rule in Gaza a chance at a better future," the council's executive director Colin Rubenstein said.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations were set to be held across much of Australia. Federal Liberal backbencher Julian Leeser, who represents the Sydney seat of Berowra, has urged the NSW government to stop pro-Palestinian road convoys in the state.
He said the vehicle protests created fear in Jewish suburbs and inflamed political and religious tensions.
But Roads Minister John Graham said while Leeser, a Jewish man, was an "outstanding MP", the government did not plan to intervene with people legally driving across the city.
"The government is not keen to restrict movement across the city (but) we are strongly in favour of strengthening the rules around vilification and hate speech," he told reporters.
