Key points
- Calls for sanctions, arms trade halt
- UN confirms famine in Gaza Strip
- Majority of Gaza dead are civilians
ISLAMABAD: Australia witnessed its biggest anti-Israeli war demonstrations on Sunday, as tens of thousands marched in major cities just days after the United Nations formally declared famine in parts of Gaza.
#Australia has had enough of the Israeli apartheid, ethnic cleansing, murder, starvation, and genocide in #gaza.https://t.co/eCVhxu2fUl pic.twitter.com/5EGwe8uME7
— Tarik Sammour (@tarik_sammour) August 24, 2025
In Brisbane, organisers estimated a crowd of at least 50,000 — the largest in the city’s history for a pro-Palestine event. Police put the figure closer to 10,000. Protesters had originally planned to march across the Story Bridge, but a magistrate blocked the move on safety grounds, according to The Guardian.
Instead, demonstrators packed Queens Gardens before marching over Victoria Bridge to Musgrave Park.
Spokesperson Remah Naji described it as “the biggest pro-Palestine rally that this city has ever seen.” Greens leader Larissa Waters said it was “the biggest gathering since those against the Iraq war,” adding that the public wanted the government to do more.
Ending arms trade with Israel
Protesters across the country called for an immediate end to Australia’s arms trade with Israel and demanded government-imposed sanctions. More than 250 community organisations and unions supported the coordinated demonstrations, including state-level trade halls and labour councils.
Sunday’s nationwide March for Palestine is billed as the largest demonstration in Australia’s history.
More than 20 cities & towns, including all capitals, will highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
(Brisbane, you get to cross Victoria Bridge)
Hope to see us all there: pic.twitter.com/0aFxE3MwDw
— Solo Monk (@JJKALE2) August 22, 2025
Melbourne saw similarly huge crowds, with organisers claiming around 100,000 people marched from the State Library of Victoria to Parliament House. Police, however, gave a lower estimate of around 10,000. In Sydney, organisers also reported 100,000 participants, though official figures had yet to be released.
The marches took place in more than 40 towns and cities nationwide, from capital cities to regional communities such as Shepparton, Tathra, and even near the Pine Gap military base. In some locations, it marked the first time pro-Palestinian protests had ever been held.
“Sanction Israel now”
The scale of the rallies follows a recent protest on 3 August, when tens of thousands crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge in defiance of a police effort to block the event through the courts. Activists said that the demonstration had created a groundswell of support.
Melbourne out for Palestine.
The unions finally called on their members to march.
Stretches from Flinders to LaTrobe.
Easy 100,000 people. pic.twitter.com/Z8EyIK4Uj6— AC against the occupation -AI (@anrchars) August 24, 2025
Brisbane attendee Jawad Al Maj, an Iranian refugee, joined the protest with his wife and children. Holding his two-year-old daughter, he said: “The difference between my kids and those kids in Palestine is geography. It’s luck.” He added, “If I were in that situation, I’d hope that people would speak up for me. So I’m speaking up.”
In Melbourne, the massive crowd blocked mobile networks as people waved Palestinian flags from balconies and chanted, “Sanction Israel now” and “Occupation no more.” Protesters reported being unable to access their phones due to network overload.
Chanting for Palestinian freedom
Independent ACT senator David Pocock addressed a crowd of roughly 2,000 in Canberra, telling demonstrators: “As a middle power, we can and must be doing more.”
In Sydney’s Hyde Park, prominent speakers included journalist Antoinette Lattouf, advocate Grace Tame and the NSW Teachers Federation president Henry Rajendra. The rally later marched to Belmore Park.
Hundreds of thousands expected at pro-Palestine protests across Australia after Gaza famine declaration https://t.co/KKFwBsBvTr
Sydney is ready 🍉🫶🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻#StopGazaGenocideNOW https://t.co/S8vJdK7CWg pic.twitter.com/YIj0xGRlmm
— Shani (@FearlessWolfess) August 24, 2025
Meanwhile, in Hobart, Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and MP Andrew Wilkie addressed a crowd estimated at around 4,000. In Shepparton, hundreds of families took to the streets, chanting for Palestinian freedom.
Tathra, on the NSW south coast, drew around 500 people who crossed the Mogareeka Bridge with a banner reading “Bega Valley for Palestine.” One local said: “It’s not Sydney Harbour Bridge, but the feelings of anger and frustration are the same.”
Famine in Gaza
Brisbane doctor Magdalene Parkes said the turnout gave her a sense of both hope and grief. “There is hope but there is also an element of sadness in the air as well. A sense of grief that we still have to be out here,” she said.
Zubeida, 55, who emigrated from apartheid-era South Africa, found the turnout “heartwarming.” She said: “We come from an apartheid regime, so we understand what apartheid is. It is heartwarming to see so many people give up their Sunday afternoon to give voice to justice.”
The surge in national demonstrations follows the UN’s confirmation of famine in Gaza.
Denying famine
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since the invasion began on 7 October 2023, according to local health officials. The majority of victims are reported to be women, children and the elderly.
The invasion started after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages. However, recent data from an Israeli intelligence database indicates that five out of six Palestinians killed in Gaza have been civilians — a death toll far surpassing that of many recent global conflicts.
Israel has denied claims that its actions amount to genocide. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the famine declaration, calling it an “outright lie.”
