More than 100 people rallied outside the South Australian Parliament on March 25 in solidarity with the people of the Middle East.
The focus of the rally was the attacks on protesters by snipers in Yemen, the invasion of Bahrain by Saudi troops and the ongoing civil war and bombing in Libya.
People from various Middle Eastern communities waved flags and placards demanding an end to the military crackdowns.
The rally heard from speakers Janine Evans (Assisting Shift in Multicultural Australia), Sean Brocklehurst (Resistance), Mohammed Papaw Al-Khafaji (Community human rights activist) and Dr. Sadiq Alsafi. Renowned singer-songwriter Phil Monsour also performed.
Mohammed Papaw Al-Khafaji, one of the organisers, said: “We wanted to stand up against injustice and say no to dictatorship.”
“These people have suffered enough over the past 30 years, it’s time for change, time for freedom and democracy. We wanted to represent their unheard voices and show the world their pain and suffering so they would become aware of the problem and take action against these cruel human rights violations”.
The rally demanded the federal government condemn the actions of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen in using military force against protesters. It also called on Australia to oppose Western ground intervention in Libya.