We stand with Mary!

Written by: Louisa L. on 6 August 2025

An injury to one is an injury to all.

The day before the Sydney Bridge March, people stood for journalist Mary Kostakidis against Zionist political and legal attacks. 

While 140 early birds and oldies filled the seats in inner Sydney Atlas Club, a hundred or so more stood around the edges or on the stairs. Unlike Atlas, we didn’t have the world’s weight on our shoulders. We were elated the court had recognised both the just cause and overwhelming community support, and ruled in favour of the next day’s rally across the bridge. 

What a beautiful warm up for Sunday. Some rushed from a small Hiroshima Day march to the Defence Department in Sydney, but tiredness evaporated with brilliant speeches and inspiring music representing the cultural wealth of diasporas from South America, Greece and other places. 

Antoinette Lattouf asked a rhetorical question in the face of what (with tough personal experience) she called ‘lawfare’, ‘What can one person do?’ A lot!
It was also answered in song. ‘Well, if you stand for freedom, we can too.’

It was the answer to what investigative journalist and filmmaker, Peter Cronau, described as a series of legal prosecutions designed to ‘terrify and pacify the larger group.’

‘Mary was chosen’ he said, for telling of the bloodbath in Palestine, its history, the crimes of the IDF, of genocidal statements by Israeli leaders, for exposing lies, ‘for doing actual journalism.’

‘Our colleagues are terrified,’ he said, ‘but take heart at the battles fought.’ 

Anything you can

Iranian Kurd Mansour Razaghi from Pen Sydney condemned the Zionist ‘network of supporters’ that ‘shape what is called “the truth”’ and ‘monitor and threaten even small community outlets.’ 

‘This is everyone’s fight,’ he said, and asked about ‘the kind of society are our children going to live in.’ 

‘We need a strong network of allies,’ Razaghi said. 

From Jews against the Occupation, an Australian Jew of Armenian descent sang in Yiddish, ‘a lament for people not doing anything, telling them “You need to do anything,”’ anything you can.

Journalist and Pullitzer Prize winner, Chris Hedges, spoke from the US by prerecorded video, saying they have ‘weaponised antisemitism to shut down free speech.’ 

He stated proposed laws in the US mean ‘any kind of dissent is criminalised …  We have to stop this creeping fascism now. We are in a very precarious place. Mary’s fight is our fight.’

Mary Kostakidis herself spoke last, radiating strength and optimism. She doesn’t stand alone. She stands with, and for, all of us. 

Access video of the meeting here  https://standwithmary.org/news/

Print Version - new window Email article

-----