Marchers demand: 'Free Palestine!'

BY LISA MACDONALD

SYDNEY — "Justice, yes! Occupation, no! Israeli troops have got to go!" and "Free, free Palestine!". These words echoed down the main streets of central Sydney on March 24, as more than 400 protesters marched from Sydney Town Hall to Belmore Park, where they joined the Palm Sunday rally.

Along the way, bystanders cheered and honked their support for the demands painted on the many red, green and white banners, and many of the bystanders joined the march.

The "Free Palestine" rally, called just one week earlier, demanded: Stop the atrocities against the Palestinian people; an end to Israel's escalation of violence; Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and a sovereign, independent Palestine for all.

The rally was addressed at Town Hall by the mufti of Australia and New Zealand, Shiekh Tajaldin (translation from Arabic was provided by Keysar Trad from the Lebanese Muslim Association); Palestinian community representative Delilah Ayshan; Duncan McLaren from the CFMEU and Palestinian exile Mahmoud Sultan. One of the rally organisers and MC for the action, Jamal Daoud, spoke passionately about the need for more demonstrations of Australian public support for a free Palestine.

From Green Left Weekly, March 27, 2002.

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From GLW issue 486