Thousands protest through the streets of Melbourne to mark the Nakba

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Melbourne to mark the Nakba, a day that recognises the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Transcript

00:00The scale of this protest could be seen from above.

00:05Melbourne streets were filled, tram lines paused by a crowd outsizing regular demonstrations.

00:11Australians are coming out to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe,

00:17where Palestine disappeared and Israel came.

00:20Palestine will be free!

00:22An estimated 750,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in 1948 in the Arab-Israeli War.

00:30This year's Nakba commemorations were, for many, extra charged given the death and displacement continuing in Gaza.

00:37We're all here for a humanitarian reason at the end of the day. It's not just political for us.

00:45In Brisbane, pots and pans wielded to symbolise starvation as the humanitarian blockade continues.

00:51It's just shocking what's going on there. It shouldn't be happening in the first place.

00:55We are a global player. I strongly disagree with Albanese's statement that this hasn't got anything to do with us. That is absurd.

01:04Protesters marched for hours from the State Library of Victoria to the St Kilda Foreshore.

01:09A path based on the from the river to the sea catch cry tied to the Palestinian cause,

01:15but condemned by some Jewish groups who say it calls for the abolition of Israel.

01:20They were met by pro-Israeli counter-protesters as they crossed the Yarra.

01:26Police kept the two groups separate and there were no arrests.

01:30It's been difficult to get an accurate grasp on crowd numbers here, but at its peak,

01:34the crowd stretched for hundreds and hundreds of metres through Melbourne's CBZ.

01:38Police are investigating whether a sign displayed outside the library contravenes recent laws against displaying Nazi symbols.

01:45They probably set off to the park or other states when it comes to the Kilda Ferry for a few years.

01:51It's one of the most commonplace weekends.

01:53They see you last night when the A1M group appears to be a Pakistani name.

01:55It's one of the most commonplace and signs of the R30s.

01:57These are all the most commonplace in the West, in the West to the West, the West.

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