Mass protests continued across Australia over the weekend against the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. This was the twelfth consecutive weekend of rallies. Attendees demanded an immediate ceasefire and condemned the Albanese Labor government’s continued support for the genocide.

Below are comments from attendees in Melbourne and Sydney.

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In Melbourne Andrew, an education worker, said, “I think what is happening in Gaza is the latest chapter of Zionism. Israel has found itself presented with an opportunity to make significant progress in what they have been trying to do over this long period of time.

“I think western leaders are at a stage where they are stalling and trying to make it look like they are stopping this, but they are essentially buying Israel the biggest window of opportunity to create as much destruction as possible. To create a situation where there will be fewer Palestinians in Palestine, where the infrastructure will be dismantled to a point where people can’t return, and then, if there is any pretence or effort to rebuild, it will be done under heavy Israeli and US backed control—if there are any Palestinians left in Gaza when this ends.”

Commenting on the mass global opposition, Andrew said, “This has caused a big period of realisation for people, in terms of what they thought democracy was, or in what ways they thought they were actually represented by people put in positions of power and influence. There’s lots of interconnected series of realisations that people are having and don’t necessarily know what to do with, myself included. I think that people are unsure of what’s next. We’re starting to get a clearer sense of what the problems are, but it’s harder to see what we can do about this. There probably is that fear of what happens next?”

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Robert, a retired teacher, said that he has been studying the history of Palestine, “After doing the research, I ended up blaming the British because of things they said during the First World War to get certain groups on side. It’s then snowballed from there, and led to the 1948 declaration, the establishment of Israel. It’s a shocking situation that goes back many, many years. However, what’s happened in the last three months or so, is just on another level.

“It is not justifiable. I cannot understand how the Israelis can get away with they’re doing. But I’ve tried to be very clear in all my discussions of not saying the Jewish people, but the Israelis. It is the Israeli government. Netanyahu is a criminal, and he is trying to cover up his misdeeds by focussing on this—it is a classic politician’s way of distracting from internal issues, to have an external enemy.”

A member of a new organisation “Mums for Palestine,” who asked to remain anonymous, explained that she became politically active because of the Israeli assault on Gaza, “After October 7 there was a lot of rage against what Hamas had done, but there was little conversation about what Palestine had been experiencing for more than 70 years. I stumbled across this group Mums for Palestine, when it was just like 5 to 10 people. Our shared goal and ambition is the freedom of Palestinians and particularly the children.

“The images and statistics that we’re seeing are horrifying —they’re starving children, they are creating mental health problems that will likely be for life. If this doesn’t stop, then this cycle of violence doesn’t stop either, because you can’t get to peace through violence.”

Katie told the WSWS, “I’m an American living in Australia and I’m here today because I am horrified to see what the Australian and American governments are supporting in their support of Israel. The deaths must stop, Palestinians deserve to have a homeland as much as anybody else.

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“I think for Americans there is a long history of supporting Israel regardless of what they do. There is a long, awful history of America supporting Israel regardless of how they treat Palestinians. For the US government there is an international incentive to have an ally in the Middle East.”

She added, “Protesting absolutely does make a difference, it keeps it in the public eye, it makes sure the governments know we’re not falling into not caring about something horrible that is going on.”

In Sydney, Dennis said, “I’m here to take a stand against what’s happening in Gaza, but also the West Bank. Now it’s broadening. There are Israeli strikes on Lebanon, threats against Yemen, and there’s an attempt to get Iran involved. It’s looking like World War Three.

“There are gas reserves off the coast of Gaza. I think that’s one of the reasons Israel has been given the greenlight to carry out genocide. They couldn’t be doing this without the support of the US and the other western powers.

“The Australian government has supplied weapons to Israel. That’s something I didn’t know about until recently. And then the US is sending billions of dollars for the Israeli military. It’s quite disgusting.”

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A young woman named Aisha, said, “I’m here to support Palestine, and to show the Australian government that we oppose the genocide. Just because the government has ties with Israel, and is okay with that relationship, does not mean that Australians are.

“What’s happening is a crime against humanity. It’s innocent people suffering at the hands of an occupation, and they have been for seventy-five years.

“I see the ties between the colonialism that we have here in Australia with our First Nations’ people… We have not done enough here to make amends, so it’s fitting that the Australian government is supporting Israel, because they have not taken the correct actions to help the oppressed people they have hurt in this country.

“Money is a byproduct of war. If it wasn’t, this wouldn’t be happening. The genocide is all part of a longer-term plan for broader wars and control in the Middle East. Money, power, oil and resources are what keep governments and this system going.”