| From: http://al-qods.org/ |
"Confirmed speakers for the rally on Friday include:
Dr Tim Anderson - representative of Hands Off Syria
Father Dave Smith: Holy Trinity church - strong supporter of Palestinians' rights.
John Shipton: Julian Assange father
Toni Borso: Australian activist who visited Gaza several times in the last year..."
I can't find a comprehensive report or a video, but the following is excerpted from the article here by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry's research officer, Julie Nathan:
'Around 150 people attended, plus a police contingent of over a dozen officers.
An Israeli flag at the rally had the words “Delete Zionists” painted on the blue stripes, and the Star of David was circled and crossed out.
Inciting people to “Delete Zionists” is a call not only for the destruction of Israel, but for the destruction of Israelis, and of those who support Israel and the right to self-determination of the Jewish people. It is a call for the annihilation of millions of Jews, in Israel and the diaspora. It is a call against people, not against a belief or a state.
The protestors gathered outside Arncliffe railway station and after several speeches, the crowd marched to Arncliffe Park while chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, “Down down Israel”, and “Netanyahu you will see, Palestine will be free.”
Let no-one be fooled into thinking that the protest was simply against Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank. Designating the whole of the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which includes Israel’s heartland, as “Palestine” is a statement against Israel’s very existence.
[Veteran Israel critic] Father Dave Smith, of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Dulwich Hill, addressed the crowd in the park, most of them Shia Muslims from the nearby Arncliffe mosque.
He stated that “the greatest crime ongoing in the world today is the oppression of the Palestinian people. From 1948 until now, the Palestinian occupation continues. How has humanity allowed this injustice to go on for so long? The injustice of the Palestinian occupation stains the whole world with the blood of the innocent… We call on governments to remove this stain.”
Just listen to his words: “the greatest crime ongoing in the world”, “from 1948 until now”, “this stain”. He was saying that all of Israel, not the West Bank, is an “occupation”, a “crime”, a “stain”.
He was inciting people to hate and destroy Israel. Yet he began his speech by saying that he did not agree with those calling for Israel’s destruction. That sentiment rings hollow in light of his subsequent rhetoric.
The MC for the event demanded “We want the Zionists out of Muslim lands. If it wasn’t for the USA, Israel would not last a day.” A female speaker referred to genocide being committed against the Palestinians.
Jamal Daoud, an organizer of the rally, lamented that the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war had “shifted the focus from the Palestinians.”
Several Shia sheiks addressed the crowd. Sheikh Nami Farhat al-Ameli called on “humanity to stand against the evil Zionist regime and big devil America.”
Tim Anderson, another speaker, said that “imperialism has its tools, and Israel is one of those tools.”....'
More on the Sydney day here, here and here
