Pro-Palestine rallies in Melbourne now a monthly event

With crowd numbers levelling off at the weekly pro-Palestine rallies in Melbourne, the organisers are switching to monthly protests.

The rallies have been held for 70 consecutive weeks, having commenced with the horrific Hamas massacre of Israelis on 7 October 2023.

Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) president Nasser Mashni said the move aims to significantly increase the size of the rallies. Though he has also threatened that if the Hamas-Israel ceasefire collapses, then the rallies will return to weekly. Meanwhile, the ceasefire has become more precarious, with Hamas and the Israeli Government blaming each other for alleged breaches. Israel has warned Hamas that it will resume attacks on Gaza if Hamas does continue to free its hostages. If the ceasefire collapses, the CBD will likely see a return to weekly protests.

Mashni said attendance at the protests had “plateaued to between 2000 and 5000”, peaking around 30,000 to 50,000 at the end of 2023, but claimed the move was not about crowd numbers.

Mashni denied that the change was due to calls from the Premier, the Victorian opposition and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to relocate or halt the weekly rallies.

The regular route of the protest march from the State Library of Victoria to the steps of the Victorian Parliament House remains the same.

Victoria Police must be pleased with the reduced pressure on their limited resources, but have simply said, “Victoria Police is aware of the announcement from organisers of weekly Sunday rallies in the city that they are moving to protesting at least once a month. Police will continue to engage with the organisers about their plans and to ensure the safety of the community is upheld.”

But it is not just the police who will be happy about the move, as businesses in the CBD and politicians from the major parties will feel a strong sense of relief. Though maybe not the Greens, who have been strong supporters of the protests. The community divisiveness fostered by the Greens is seen as one of the causes of the Greens’ poor result in the Prahran byelection, where they lost the seat after holding it for a decade, to the Liberals. The ALP did not field a candidate, and former Labor MP Tony Lupton ran as an independent on a strong “put Greens last” platform, preferencing the Liberals.

A Victorian Government spokesperson said, “Our focus is on keeping people safe in Victoria and supporting our communities—that’s what matters to us. While we acknowledge that many within our communities hold differing views, ideas, and opinions, it is critical that these are shared in a way that is safe, respectful, and inclusive.”

“Victoria is a proudly multicultural state and there is no room for hatred and division of any kind. We stand with every Victorian to oppose hate speech and violent extremism – including racism and antisemitism.”

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nick Reece told J-Wire, “This is a very positive step forward for our city.”

“Everyone has the right to protest peacefully, however the ongoing weekly protests have been deeply disruptive to our city and have negatively impacted lives and livelihoods in Melbourne. People are fed up.”

“Sadly, protests in Melbourne do not change the situation in Gaza, but they do disrupt the lives of people in Melbourne. Local traders and restaurants who rely on weekend trade will be celebrating. It will also bring much-needed respite for the tens of thousands of people who live in the city.”

Jewish Community Council of Victoria CEO Naomi Levin, said, “Victorians just want to be able to travel around the CBD on the weekend without the disruption and intimidation that these weekly protests have caused. I am sure the vast majority of Victorians will welcome this capitulation by protest organisers.”

Member for Caulfield David Southwick said, “The shift from weekly to monthly APAN protests is long overdue and will bring some relief to Victorians, CBD business owners, police, and the Jewish community, who have had their city hijacked by these protesters without consequence.”

“The lack of action by the Allan Labor Government has allowed these protesters to spew hate onto our streets, leading to unprecedented attacks on our community.”

“While everyone has the right to peacefully protest, these pro-Hamas protesters have crossed the line, causing many in the Jewish community to feel unsafe and unwelcome.”

The rallies have fuelled divisive sentiments and fanned antisemitism, amid a climate of increasing antisemitic incidents around Australia, including the fire-bombing of Adass Israel Synagogue, bullying and intimidation on university campuses, and attacks on Jewish cars, homes, businesses and communities. Not to mention the terrorist bomb plot foiled in Dural, NSW.

The next protest in the Melbourne CBD is planned for Sunday, followed by one on 23 March.