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1 month agoThat's a wrap
We are concluding our coverage of today's pro-Palestinian protests in Sydney and Melbourne. Here is a recap of what happened today:
- This afternoon, the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge turned into a sea of people spotlighting the suffering in Gaza, as the bridge closed from 11.30am to about 5pm.
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has seldom been seen in public since his release from a UK prison in June, was spotted at the rally in Sydney. He was accompanied by former Labor minister Bob Carr.
- Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, former Australian of the Year Craig Foster, federal Labor MP Ed Husic and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore also attended the protest.
- Josh Lees, from the protest organiser Palestine Action Group, told SBS News hundreds of thousands attended today's protest. NSW Police acting assistant commissioner Adam Johnson said the police's current estimate was that around 90,000 people had attended the event.
- About two hours after the march started, NSW Police issued various statements urging the protesters to "stop walking north", citing "safety issues". Geo-targeting alerts were sent to the people in the area.
- In a press conference after the march, NSW Police acting deputy commissioner Peter McKenna said most Sydney marchers were "very well behaved" but added that at certain points police "were really concerned about a crowd crush".
- Protesters also gathered at the State Library in Melbourne to rally in solidarity with the protesters in Sydney, planning to march down to the King Street Bridge. However, they had to leave the King Street bridge, which police had blockaded in advance of their arrival.
