Perth Voice Interactive

THE Friends of Palestine WA will be holding a rally today (Saturday October 12) at 4pm in Forrest Place despite prime minister Anthony Albanese warning that pro-Palestinian rallies can be “incredibly provocative”.

FPWA says the demonstration is in response to “Israel’s aggressive escalatory attacks on Lebanon and its other regional neighbors”.

The protest will be calling for the government to impose military and economic sanctions on Israel and for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled from Australia.

Protest organiser Sam Shahin says there will be anger and grief at the gathering. 

“Grief over the fact that the last year has seen untold Israeli destruction in Gaza, a fact recognised by multiple international legal and political bodies,” she said.

“Anger over the fact that the same genocidal Israeli state is now waging offensive war in Lebanon, murdering over a thousand and displacing over one million people.”

Last week Mr Albanese said protests marking the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that killed around 1200 people would “cause a great deal of distress” and urged people to promote social cohesion.

But Jews for Palestine member Janet Parker said as a Jewish person, that wasn’t what distressed her.

“As a Jewish person myself, what is truly distressing is the murder of tens of thousands of women, men and children in Gaza by a state that claims that it speaks for all Jewish people,” Ms Parker said.

“I say ‘not in my name’.”

Organiser and FPWA member Vashti Fox said: “Our rally will stand in opposition to government and police attempts to stymie pro-Palestine protests and voices across Australia. 

“We also oppose the media focus on the waving of a few Hezbollah flags at protests in Melbourne and Sydney. 

“We maintain that if the federal government wants to oppose symbols of violence and terror, they should ban the Israeli flag.”