Gaza War Protests in Australia

The protests followed the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. In the days afterward, the Sydney Opera House was illuminated in blue and white in solidarity with Israelis, while a pro-Palestinian rally was held at the landmark; the U.S. State Department report describes the demonstration as protesting the decision to display the colors of the Israeli flag.[1]

The demonstrations developed across a period in which Jewish Australians reported increased antisemitism. The State Department’s 2023 religious-freedom report said the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) recorded 657 antisemitic incidents between October 7 and November 30, 2023, more than seven times the number for the same period in 2022.[1] A separate 2023 report hosted by the JPR archive gave a total of 662 incidents for October and November, compared with 79 in those months in 2022 and 91 in 2021; it also recorded 371 incidents in January–September 2023, against 363 in the same period in 2022.[2] A JPR archive summary gives 622 incidents for October and November 2023, rather than 662, and does not explain the difference.[3]

The reports describe these figures as counts compiled or reported by Jewish community organizations, not as counts of incidents necessarily caused by protests. The JPR-hosted report says graffiti, verbal abuse, and antisemitic chants at demonstrations were common, and gives examples of assaults in Sydney and Melbourne.[2] The State Department report recounts intimidation including death threats to Jewish organizations and threats made at anti-Israel street protests, as well as convoys through predominantly Jewish Sydney neighborhoods.[1] In Tasmania, the U.S. ambassador met Jewish community leaders in Hobart in October 2023 to discuss the impact of anti-Israel demonstrations accompanied by manifestations of antisemitism; the ambassador urged respect and interfaith dialogue.[1]

The early Sydney Opera House rally took place on October 9, 2023, according to the U.S. State Department and the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The State Department, citing media reports, says about 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched from Sydney Town Hall to the Opera House in an unauthorized rally.[1][4] The American Jewish Committee (AJC) likewise estimates about 1,000 demonstrators and dates their march to two days after the October 7 attack.[5] The ADL lists the incident under “10/10,” creating a discrepancy in the reported date.[6]

Accounts of the rally describe Palestinian flags, anti-Israel slogans, the burning of an Israeli flag, and flares. The State Department says demonstrators chanted antisemitic as well as anti-Israel slogans, burned an Israeli flag, and prevented Jewish community members from holding a vigil at the Opera House.[1] The Jerusalem Post reports that Premier Chris Minns described the area as “overrun with people that were spewing racial epithets and hatred,” and that he apologized to the Jewish community, saying the government had intended to provide a place to mourn victims of the attacks in Israel.[7] The AJC reports chants including “F*** the Jews” and “Where’s the Jews?”; the ADL entry says “Gas the Jews” was shouted.[5][6]

The precise chants became a prominent dispute. In February 2024, police said a forensic examination of video and audio found the phrase was “Where’s the Jews?” rather than “Gas the Jews.” The police account also described other statements against Jews as “offensive and completely unacceptable,” while noting that people who said they had heard offensive slogans could not identify a specific speaker.[4][8] Police said they would continue investigating whether offenses had occurred.[8] The forensic finding concerned whether that particular phrase could be identified in the reviewed recordings, not whether other antisemitic statements were made.[4][8]

There were also disagreements over police conduct and the rally’s effects. The State Department records criticism that police failed to stop the event; NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley told Parliament officers had acted to “manage the risk of violence.” Minns criticized protesters for not remaining peaceful and acknowledged that the government had failed in its intention to provide a safe public space for a Jewish community vigil.[1] Police also investigated footage of protesters lighting flares.[4] A Mosaic commentary describes anti-Jewish slurs at the gathering, while a Jewish Review of Books essay recalls demonstrators shouting “fuck the Jews” and “where are the Jews”; both are attributed accounts rather than independent adjudications of precisely what was said.[9][10]

A further major Sydney march took place on October 21, 2023. The Jerusalem Post reported that about 15,000 people joined, citing the organizer, Palestine Action Group; marchers waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Palestine will never die.” Police reported no arrests, and organizer Amal Naser described the event as peaceful.[11] A participant characterized it as a humanitarian cause, while ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said it had “incited more hatred in Australia” and damaged “fragile social cohesion.”[11] The Institute for Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence identifies the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), led by Nasser Mashni, and Palestine Action as prominent organizations leading demonstrations, and attributes the October 9 Opera House rally to them; these are the institute’s attributions and framing.[12]

Protests continued at universities and in city centers during 2024. In late April, students at the University of Sydney established a pro-Palestinian encampment and called for the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel. More than 300 students and other supporters were reported at a rally, and Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott said the encampment could remain, citing the absence of the violence seen at some U.S. campuses.[13] Separately, hundreds gathered beneath Australian and Israeli flags to hear speakers address Jewish students’ and faculty members’ sense of safety. One academic said that hearing “Intifada” and “from the river to the sea” chanted on campus was frightening.[13]

The U.S. State Department’s 2024 human-rights report says most pro-Palestinian university protests were peaceful, while Jewish students said they felt intimidated and harassed.[14] It also reports that the prime minister condemned protesters who confronted members of the Jewish community at a Melbourne university, saying the community was “suffering from the rise of antisemitism.” A Senate inquiry declined to establish a royal commission into alleged campus antisemitism; Parliament instead appointed an ombudsman to coordinate with the antisemitism envoy and universities on a prevention plan, and referred the matter to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights.[14]

Other 2024 actions targeted arms and defense-related activity. On July 4, protesters climbed onto the roof of Parliament House in Canberra and hung banners bearing messages including “war crimes,” “no peace on stolen land,” and “genocide since 1788.”[15] The Institute for Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence report also cites a January attempt to disrupt operations at the Port of Melbourne to prevent Israeli shipping company ZIM from using port facilities, and describes September protests against Israeli companies’ participation in a Melbourne security exhibition as riots. These descriptions are attributed to the institute and the Australian media reports it cites.[12]

On September 11, about 1,200 people protested outside Melbourne’s Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition. The reported organizers included Students for Palestine, Extinction Rebellion, and Disrupt Wars. Students for Palestine national co-convenor Jasmine Duff said protesters were standing up for people killed by weapons displayed at the expo; demonstrators called for an “unconditional ceasefire.”[16] Video also showed some participants chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan the report says many condemn as a call for Israel’s elimination.[16]

The Melbourne demonstration escalated into clashes. Victoria Police said protesters threw rocks, horse manure, and bottles containing liquid, and that some officers were sprayed with an irritant identified in some cases as acid. Twenty-four officers required medical treatment, and police reported 39 arrests for offenses including assaulting or obstructing police, arson, and blocking roads.[16] Police also said protesters lit fires and disrupted traffic and public transport; officers used sponge grenades, flash-bang devices, and irritant sprays. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people had a right to protest but should do so peacefully.[16]

A December 2024 protest across from Sydney’s Great Synagogue occurred during an event marking the Technion’s centenary, according to a Foundation for Defense of Democracies opinion article. The article says people inside the synagogue remained there for nearly three hours for safety, and reports chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and signs accusing Israel of war crimes and the Australian prime minister of having blood on his hands.[17] It says the protest was allegedly held without permits but gives neither an exact date nor an attendance estimate. The same author reports that a Jewish man unfurled an Israeli flag across the street and that protesters allegedly shouted “shame” and “murderer” at him; police reportedly detained the man for “antagonizing” the crowd rather than detaining the assembly.[17] These details are the article’s account and characterization.

Large demonstrations continued in 2025. On August 3, Palestine Action Group Sydney organized a “March for Humanity” across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, calling for increased aid to Gaza, an immediate Israeli ceasefire and withdrawal, sanctions, and an arms embargo.[18] The Counter Extremism Project described the event as drawing tens of thousands.[19] Reports say the march began at Lang Park and crossed the bridge, with Palestinian flags and calls of “Free Palestine”; participants and speakers included former foreign minister Bob Carr, journalist Antoinette Lattouf, former soccer captain Craig Foster, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.[20]

Crowd estimates varied sharply. NSW Police said up to 90,000 attended, while organizers said as many as 300,000 may have marched; Mako described approximately 100,000.[18][20] These figures are estimates attributed to different parties, not a settled attendance count. Police and the premier had sought to stop the bridge route over safety and transport concerns, but the NSW Supreme Court rejected an urgent application to prohibit it.[18][21] More than 1,000 police were deployed, and police said no one was hurt.[18]

The Law Library of Congress explains that New South Wales provides a process for consultation and cooperation, with proposed assemblies potentially authorized or prohibited. Authorization offers limited protection against certain obstruction charges; a prohibition order withdraws those protections rather than strictly banning an assembly.[21] In August 2025, the court found police had not shown that withdrawing protections for the authorized march was necessary or proportionate, and that peaceful assembly rights outweighed the public-safety and logistical concerns advanced in the application.[21] The march closed the bridge to traffic and caused substantial transport disruption; police issued an emergency alert asking participants to stop moving north to avoid dangerous crowding, and traffic resumed around 4:30 p.m.[20]

Participants carried pots and pans as symbols of hunger and chanted “We are all Palestinians”; reports also describe some chanting “Long live the intifada.”[18][22] Reports described images of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and flags identified by Mako as ISIS flags; such observations concern particular items and do not establish that the broader crowd endorsed them.[20][22] The march’s published demands did not mention Hamas or the Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and Israel rejects the organizers’ accusation of genocide.[18]

On August 24, demonstrations were reported in about 40 cities, towns, or regional centers across Australia.[23][24] Palestine Action Group estimated nationwide attendance at 350,000 in one account and nearly 300,000 in another.[25][26] The group had hoped for 500,000, which was a forecast rather than a confirmed total.[23] More than 250 community organizations and trade unions reportedly backed the actions, which called for sanctions on Israel and an end to Australian arms supplies or trade with Israel.[23][24] Signs included “End the occupation” and “Sanctions now.”[24]

The reported estimates differed locally as well. Organizers claimed at least 50,000 participants in Brisbane, while police estimated about 10,000.[23] Organizer estimates reported for other cities included more than 100,000 in Melbourne, 20,000 in Perth, 15,000 in Adelaide, and 4,000 in Hobart.[26] Speakers called for peace, sanctions, and an end to the two-way arms trade; Sydney organizer Josh Lees demanded an end to what he called “this genocide in Gaza.”[25][26] These are reported demands and estimates, not independently established descriptions of the war or verified crowd totals.

On October 7, 2025, Stand for Palestine Australia planned an event in Sydney’s Bankstown suburb for the second anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks, advertising the wording “glory to our martyrs.”[27] NSW Premier Chris Minns criticized the timing, telling radio station 2GB, “Terrible timing, shockingly insensitive.” The available account does not state whether the event proceeded or how many people attended.[27]

On October 12, pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place at 27 locations after announcement of a Gaza ceasefire and ahead of the expected release of hostages held by Hamas. Organizers estimated about 30,000 at the Sydney rally, which was relocated after a court blocked plans to use the Opera House as a venue; police reported no arrests.[28] Organizer Amal Naser said that even if the ceasefire held, Israel’s occupation and discrimination against Palestinians constituted apartheid. ECAJ co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said the organizers wanted the deal to fail and the war to continue.[28] These remarks express opposing assessments attributed to the speakers.

The protests became part of a wider discussion about antisemitism, Israel, public order, and the scope of peaceful assembly. Reports describe recurring weekly anti-Israel demonstrations in the central business districts of Sydney, Melbourne, and elsewhere. A 2025 ECAJ report quoted by CAMERA says the protests disrupted ordinary life and business for many Australians, and records Jewish Australians’ concerns about chants and placards it characterized as anti-Jewish racism, including calls to end Jewish national self-determination in Israel and comparisons between Nazism and Zionism.[29] These judgments are attributed to the ECAJ report as quoted by CAMERA, rather than presented as a universal characterization of protesters.

In Victoria, measures announced in December 2024 were framed by Premier Jacinta Allan as an effort to balance protest rights with public safety. The package included plans to ban Hamas and Hezbollah flags at protests, prohibit masked protests, and restrict demonstrations near religious sites; police were to receive powers to confiscate disruptive items and prevent identity concealment, with exceptions for health, religious, or cultural reasons.[30] The government also planned to explore limits on disturbances at religious sites and establish a liaison team with the Jewish community.[30]

The August 2025 Harbour Bridge march provided a prominent test of assembly law, with the state court permitting the route to proceed despite police and government concerns about safety and transport.[18][21] The case illustrates the difference between a court withdrawing legal protections for an assembly and prohibiting the gathering outright under the NSW framework.[21] The demonstrations’ scale was frequently reported through competing organizer, police, and media estimates, making exact totals uncertain.[18][25]

A Counter Extremism Project roundup says the Sydney Harbour Bridge march occurred days after an Australian government minister said the country would recognize a Palestinian state in the future, and that marchers called for increased aid deliveries to Gaza and sanctions on Israel.[19] In October 2026, Jews Against the Occupation 48 organized a pro-Palestinian gathering at Sydney Town Hall on the anniversary of the October 7 attack. Participants carried Palestinian flags, read poems and prayers, and laid flowers for people killed in the Gaza war; Minns criticized the timing as provocative and said the date should be treated as one of mourning. No arrests were reported.[31]

A Sydney demonstration on October 11, 2026, was also reported as part of a “Global Day of Action” in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The global campaign was attributed to the Global Alliance for Gaza, described as a coalition encompassing grassroots groups, civil-society organizations, academic and cultural institutions, trade unions, digital platforms, and public figures. The report did not specify the local organizer or attendance.[32]

Accounts of the October 2023 Opera House rally differ over its date, attendance, and exact chants. The ADL lists the incident under October 10 and reports “Gas the Jews.”[6] The State Department and CEP place the rally on October 9, while police later said forensic analysis identified “Where’s the Jews?” rather than the disputed phrase.[1][4] The police account nevertheless records other offensive and unacceptable statements against Jews, and says people who reported hearing offensive slogans could not identify a particular speaker.[8] The discrepancy is therefore best described as a dispute about what the recordings established and what witnesses reported, not as evidence that no antisemitic language was used.

Crowd figures for the major 2025 marches also vary substantially. For August 3, estimates ranged from about 90,000 attributed to police to as many as 300,000 claimed by organizers, while Mako reported approximately 100,000.[18][20] For August 24, organizers’ nationwide totals ranged from nearly 300,000 to 350,000.[25][26] In Brisbane, organizers claimed about 50,000 while police estimated about 10,000.[23] Reports also record disputed political interpretations of slogans and imagery; observations about individuals or particular chants should not be generalized to all demonstrators.

Descriptions of protests and their political meaning are similarly attributed to particular sources or speakers. The FDD article’s account of the Great Synagogue protest and police response is an opinion article’s reporting, while the Institute for Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence uses strongly critical language about protest groups and actions.[12][17] Organizers’ accusations that Israel committed genocide or apartheid are reported as their claims; one report explicitly notes Israel’s rejection of the genocide accusation.[18][28] These disputes form part of the public debate surrounding the demonstrations, alongside documented concerns about Jewish safety and the legal protection of peaceful assembly.