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Lidia Thorpe addressed a pro-Palestinian rally saying she had been a “prisoner” in her own home and pleaded for protesters to attend Australia Day rallies.
The controversial senator made his speech to thousands of protesters gathered outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne on Sunday.
The demonstration in solidarity for Palestine took place as pro-Israel demonstrations took place in Sydney, with demonstrators waving flags and signs depicting missing loved ones.
Earlier in the week, students walked out of class to call for a ceasefire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe will attend a planned pro-Palestinian rally in Melbourne from midday on Sunday, as new protests begin in Sydney
Ms Thorpe said she had been a “prisoner” in her own home for the past five months, in what appeared to be a reference to the Voice referendum.
Hundreds of people traveled to the country’s main capitals on Sunday to call for a ceasefire in the face of the “criminal siege” in the Gaza Strip.
Senator Lidia Thorpe attended the planned Palestinian protest in Melbourne, organized by community action group Free Palestine Melbourne.
A large crowd gathered outside the State Library of Victoria as they waited for Senator Lidia Thorpe to speak.
Once Thorpe took the stage, she apologized for not attending earlier protests and said she stood with Palestine, dressed in red and black, wearing makeup and a headscarf with the Palestinian flag on it.
She said she had been a “prisoner” in her own home for five months, which appeared to be a reference to the Voice referendum.
“I will not allow this colonial system to perpetrate and facilitate the genocide that is taking place in your country,” she said.
“I will make a statement every day that this war continues.”
“We also want you to show up on January 26, which for us is invasion day,” she said, after denouncing the ongoing “genocide” of Aboriginal people in Australia.
The energetic crowd was fired up, even in less than ideal weather, with one speaker taking the stage before Ms Thorpe questioning the ceasefire with Israel.
“Make no mistake, this is not a ceasefire, it’s a pause,” the man said.
“Israeli terrorist forces still intend to continue their genocidal attack.
“This pause is temporary but the trauma and pain that the people of Gaza will experience is permanent.”
Hundreds of people descended on the country’s main capitals on Sunday to call for a ceasefire in the face of the “criminal siege” in the Gaza Strip.
In Melbourne, a large crowd gathered on Sunday afternoon to support Palestine
A bike ride from Bankstown to Brighton in support of Gaza also took place today.
“Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip for over a month. Thousands of Palestinian men, women and children have been killed and thousands more injured,’ read an event description of Sunday’s rally in Melbourne.
“Now more than ever, we must continue to stand in solidarity with Palestine and demand an end to Israel’s criminal siege on Gaza.”
In Sydney, Australian Jewish protesters gathered to demand the release of the last child hostages held by Hamas.
Protests in recent months have been rocked by confrontational scenes, with some comparing the Jewish state to Nazi Germany and carrying fake, bloodied corpses into rallies.
In Sydney, Australian Jewish protesters gathered to demand the release of the last child hostages held by Hamas.
Thousands of members of Sydney’s Jewish community gathered in central Sydney to protest
Hundreds of schoolchildren across the country defied warnings by leaving campuses this week in support of Palestine, despite calls from politicians to stay in school.
NSW Education Minister Prue Car said students should not “skip school” for protesting.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday: “If you want to change the world, get an education and that’s precisely why we have a world-class public education system.”
He said making schools “the enemy” was not a good thing, as he wanted children to be “fully educated to know the world.”
The rallies come as Hamas announced it had released a second group of Israeli and foreign civilians it was holding hostage in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Lidia Thorpe delivers speech at pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne