Support for Palestinians grows in Adelaide

Written by: Ned K. on 21 December 2023

On Sunday 17 December, thousands of people participated in a rally and demonstration in Adelaide in support of the Palestinian people's struggle in Gaza and the West Bank against the Zionist colonial occupation of Palestinian land.

Some might say "just another rally"!

How wrong they would be. This rally in support of the Palestinian people was not only another show of force of people power "on the ground". It included some new speakers who represented very important sections of the working people of South Australia.

A 16-year old public school student took to the microphone and proudly declared that she was of Jewish heritage and that her grandparents fled Europe from the Nazi terror against Jewish and other nationalities.

She said that the Zionist Israeli Government did not speak in her name in their genocidal attacks on the Palestinian people. She said that just as Hitler and the Nazis were condemned and fought against by western governments, including Australia's, so these western governments should be fighting against the Zionist genocidal attacks against the Palestinians in 2023.

She said it was a step forward but a step too late by the Albanese Government to finally support the UN General Assembly Resolution for a Cease Fire but they needed to do much more! 

She also had strong words to say to the media barons and some politicians who said that school students should stick to their studies and not be out on the streets participating in rallies in support of "terrorists" like Hamas. She said she and thousands of 16-year olds like her were intelligent enough to realise that the struggle by Palestinians against the Zionist Israeli Government, backed by Britain and the USA in particular, had been going on for many decades before Hamas even existed!

She ended her speech with "Free, Free Palestine!" and received rousing applause.

The next speaker was also significant due to who he represented.

For the first time since the post-7 October rallies, the Secretary of SA Unions, Dale Beasely spoke in support of the Palestinian people.

SA Unions represents the voice of thousands of workers in SA from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Palestinians and Jewish people.

He pointed out that Unions in Australia had a proud history of opposing wars of aggression, going back to the anti-conscription struggle in the First World War and the struggle to end Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War.

He also said that the Australian Government needed to do much more to force a Cease Fire in Gaza. 

Unions are a diverse movement on social issues but he said a common point of agreement is that Unions stand for peace not war. He gave the example of the MUA members in Perth recently refusing to co-operate with the docking of an Israeli ship.

The third speaker who added to the breadth of support for Palestinians was a local Doctor who was born in Gaza and who gave the crowd examples of the tremendous courage of doctors and nurses in the hospitals in Gaza, despite the constant bombing by the Israeli Defence Force.

Despite the thousands of Palestinian deaths and even more wounded, he had no doubt that Palestinians would overcome the colonizer state of Israel.  

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