The four protesters unfurled several banners reading: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “No peace on stolen land.”
Pro-Palestine protesters scaled the roof of the Australian Parliament in Canberra and unfurled several banners, one of which read: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The protest outside the national parliament on Thursday follows recent divisions within the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who suspended a Muslim senator who voted for Australia to recognise a Palestinian state.
Four members of the Renegade Activists group, dressed in dark clothing, remained on the roof of the building for about an hour, unfurling several large black and white banners, including one that read: “No peace on stolen land.”
One of the protesters delivered a speech through a megaphone accusing the Israeli government of “war crimes” in Gaza with US support, and the Australian government of being complicit in the alleged abuses.
“We declare to the Australian government that we will continue to expose and resist the US imperial, hegemonic and capitalist interests to which you are dedicated,” the protester shouted.
“Australia continues to enable and commit war crimes as a lackey of our ‘great and powerful’ friends.”
A handful of police and security personnel advised people not to walk directly under the protest at the main entrance to the building, while others were seen on the roof trying to dislodge the group.
The protesters packed up and left before being taken away by police at around 11:30 a.m. local time (01:30 GMT).
“This is a serious breach of the security of Parliament,” opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said in a message posted on the social media platform X.
“The building has been modified at great expense to prevent incursions like this. An investigation is necessary.”
The latest war in Gaza began on October 7, when Palestinian Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and capturing about 250 others. Israel’s war on the besieged Palestinian territory has left nearly 38,000 dead, forcibly displaced most of the population on multiple occasions and devastated the densely populated enclave.
South Africa has filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, while a United Nations investigation found last month that Israel and Hamas committed war crimes at the start of the Gaza war.
The investigation also said Israel’s actions constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian casualties.
Since the start of the war, Australia has been the scene of several pro-Palestinian protests, including weekly demonstrations in major cities and a months-long occupation of university campuses.
On Monday, the Labor Party indefinitely suspended senator Fatima Payman after she voted in favour of a parliamentary motion for Palestinian statehood. Ms Payman said she had been “exiled” after supporting the motion, put forward by the Green Party, in defiance of government policy.
Australia does not currently recognise Palestinian statehood, although Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in May it might do so before the formal peace process between Israel and the Palestinian authorities ends.