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Organizers estimated that 300,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia's most populous city on Sunday in demonstration against the ongoing genocide being carried out by Israel and its international backers in Gaza.
Footage being shared widely online showed throngs of people unbowed by the rain crossing the iconic bridge in a flood of umbrellas and ponchos, many carrying signs that said, "Feed Gaza!"; "Let Aid In"; and "Stop Genocide!"
Solidarity actions for the people of Gaza—organized under the banner of "March for Humanity - Save Gaza"—were also held in Melbourne and other cities, but the crowds were largest in Sydney.
Protesters march ahead toward the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the rally. Hundreds of thousands of protesters took part in the "March for Humanity Save Gaza," crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge to call for an end to Israel's military assault on Gaza and demand immediate humanitarian aid access. (Photo by Ye Myo Khant/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"It's even bigger than my wildest dreams," Josh Lees, one of the the key organizers of the protest, told Guardian Australia while walking near the head of the march. "It's a mass march for humanity to stop a genocide, our politicians have to now listen to the will of the people and sanction Israel."
Observers said the scale of the demonstration shows that international support for Israel's attack on Gaza, even among countries that have long been allies, is fracturing in the face of the undeniable evidence that atrocities are taking place against the Palestinian people on a daily basis and in a coordinated manner.
"One has to be blind not to see that Israel has completely lost the majority of the world—including in the West," said Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the U.S.-based Quincy Institute, pointing to footage of the protest. "No level of intimidation, surveillance, or threats can force the majority of humanity to support and defend apartheid and genocide."
As the crowd approached a police line near the bridge, reported The Age newspaper, rally organizer Mohammad Sharab called on protesters to "prove to the world that this is not a movement that will clash with police" and asked people to stay back from the police or sit down peacefully in protest.
"They are holding their guns, their weapons, against people who are protesting peacefully," he said of the officers. "Shame on Victoria Police, shame."
Sharab said the protests were about peace and humanity and he criticized the media personalities and Australian politicians for characterizing as "extremists" those calling for a cease-fire and an end to the policy of starvation in Gaza.
"We stand for justice," said Sharab. "We are not ashamed of it. For those who call us extremist and antisemitic for standing against genocide, these extreme comments make you the extremist. That's my message to [Premier] Jacinta Allan."
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Organizers estimated that 300,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia's most populous city on Sunday in demonstration against the ongoing genocide being carried out by Israel and its international backers in Gaza.
Footage being shared widely online showed throngs of people unbowed by the rain crossing the iconic bridge in a flood of umbrellas and ponchos, many carrying signs that said, "Feed Gaza!"; "Let Aid In"; and "Stop Genocide!"
Solidarity actions for the people of Gaza—organized under the banner of "March for Humanity - Save Gaza"—were also held in Melbourne and other cities, but the crowds were largest in Sydney.
Protesters march ahead toward the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the rally. Hundreds of thousands of protesters took part in the "March for Humanity Save Gaza," crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge to call for an end to Israel's military assault on Gaza and demand immediate humanitarian aid access. (Photo by Ye Myo Khant/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"It's even bigger than my wildest dreams," Josh Lees, one of the the key organizers of the protest, told Guardian Australia while walking near the head of the march. "It's a mass march for humanity to stop a genocide, our politicians have to now listen to the will of the people and sanction Israel."
Observers said the scale of the demonstration shows that international support for Israel's attack on Gaza, even among countries that have long been allies, is fracturing in the face of the undeniable evidence that atrocities are taking place against the Palestinian people on a daily basis and in a coordinated manner.
"One has to be blind not to see that Israel has completely lost the majority of the world—including in the West," said Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the U.S.-based Quincy Institute, pointing to footage of the protest. "No level of intimidation, surveillance, or threats can force the majority of humanity to support and defend apartheid and genocide."
As the crowd approached a police line near the bridge, reported The Age newspaper, rally organizer Mohammad Sharab called on protesters to "prove to the world that this is not a movement that will clash with police" and asked people to stay back from the police or sit down peacefully in protest.
"They are holding their guns, their weapons, against people who are protesting peacefully," he said of the officers. "Shame on Victoria Police, shame."
Sharab said the protests were about peace and humanity and he criticized the media personalities and Australian politicians for characterizing as "extremists" those calling for a cease-fire and an end to the policy of starvation in Gaza.
"We stand for justice," said Sharab. "We are not ashamed of it. For those who call us extremist and antisemitic for standing against genocide, these extreme comments make you the extremist. That's my message to [Premier] Jacinta Allan."
Organizers estimated that 300,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia's most populous city on Sunday in demonstration against the ongoing genocide being carried out by Israel and its international backers in Gaza.
Footage being shared widely online showed throngs of people unbowed by the rain crossing the iconic bridge in a flood of umbrellas and ponchos, many carrying signs that said, "Feed Gaza!"; "Let Aid In"; and "Stop Genocide!"
Solidarity actions for the people of Gaza—organized under the banner of "March for Humanity - Save Gaza"—were also held in Melbourne and other cities, but the crowds were largest in Sydney.
Protesters march ahead toward the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the rally. Hundreds of thousands of protesters took part in the "March for Humanity Save Gaza," crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge to call for an end to Israel's military assault on Gaza and demand immediate humanitarian aid access. (Photo by Ye Myo Khant/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"It's even bigger than my wildest dreams," Josh Lees, one of the the key organizers of the protest, told Guardian Australia while walking near the head of the march. "It's a mass march for humanity to stop a genocide, our politicians have to now listen to the will of the people and sanction Israel."
Observers said the scale of the demonstration shows that international support for Israel's attack on Gaza, even among countries that have long been allies, is fracturing in the face of the undeniable evidence that atrocities are taking place against the Palestinian people on a daily basis and in a coordinated manner.
"One has to be blind not to see that Israel has completely lost the majority of the world—including in the West," said Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the U.S.-based Quincy Institute, pointing to footage of the protest. "No level of intimidation, surveillance, or threats can force the majority of humanity to support and defend apartheid and genocide."
As the crowd approached a police line near the bridge, reported The Age newspaper, rally organizer Mohammad Sharab called on protesters to "prove to the world that this is not a movement that will clash with police" and asked people to stay back from the police or sit down peacefully in protest.
"They are holding their guns, their weapons, against people who are protesting peacefully," he said of the officers. "Shame on Victoria Police, shame."
Sharab said the protests were about peace and humanity and he criticized the media personalities and Australian politicians for characterizing as "extremists" those calling for a cease-fire and an end to the policy of starvation in Gaza.
"We stand for justice," said Sharab. "We are not ashamed of it. For those who call us extremist and antisemitic for standing against genocide, these extreme comments make you the extremist. That's my message to [Premier] Jacinta Allan."