Indigenous Australians gathered for a rally against anti-semitism in Melbourne, with organiser Mark Leach saying hate will never prevail.
Thousands of individuals were estimated to have attended the Never Again Is Now (NAIN) rally outside Victoria’s Parliament House on May 19.
The rally observed a minute’s silence for those killed since Hamas terrorists crossed the border from Gaza into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 200 hostages on Oct. 7.
Conflicting rallies have been held around the world amid the fall-out from the attack, the most recent involving pro-Palestine student encampments at universities in Australia and the United States.
But Mr. Leach walked away from his rally on May 19 happy that Christian-Indigenous Australians were supporting his cause, promoting the saying, “Push back the hate, mate.”
“What was amazing was that there was a very strong Indigenous presence. There were a number of Indigenous speakers and dancers, and [political commentator] Warren Mundine was superb,” Mr. Leach told The Epoch Times.
“They understand what it’s like to be indigenous to the land. And so Christian Indigenous communities are very supportive of Israel and the Jewish community.
“We saw that [on Sunday].”
Mr. Leach believes another large and diverse crowd will attend the next NAIN rally in Brisbane on June 9.
That is because people from all over Australia are beginning to “wake up” and take a stand against anti-semitism.
“I think it’s just a question of waking up people, particularly Christians, to what’s really going on,” Mr. Leach said.
“And once they wake up, they realise it’s terrible and they come out and support us.”
The NAIN event looked on as pro-Palestine protestors and police clashed just hundreds of metres from Parliament House on May 19.
People wanting to attend the NAIN rally were often surrounded by pro-Palestine protesters as they tried to get through the police line near Little Bourke Street.
Some counter-protesters were also led away by police.
“There were a range of political and religious leaders full of love, in sharp distinction to the pro-Palestinian protestors who were yelling hate at us behind police lines,” Mr. Leach said.
Senators Speak Out Against Anti-Semitism
Liberal Senator James Paterson attended the NAIN Melbourne rally, and his message for the crowd was to promote peace for all Israelis through staying strong in the face of hate and antisemitism.Senator Paterson told the crowd he was prepared to stand alongside everyone who felt the ugly scourge of anti-semitism either at an Australian university, or simply while going about their daily tasks in public.
“We must stand against it because history shows that rampant anti-semitism is a leading indicator of an unhealthy society. Because while it might start with the Jews, it never ends with the Jews.”
Senator Paterson singled out nearby pro-Palestine protestors using antisemitic slogans and graphic banners to further their cause, saying there was no place for this aggression in Melbourne or anywhere in Australia.
Fellow Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson also spoke, telling the crowd she believed universities needed to bring in police to deal with pro-Palestinian university encampment protests.
“In the face of the unlawful occupation of buildings, trespass, violence, hate and incitement which has shut down classes, and at Melbourne Uni, created chaos … I say restore law and order, so students and staff can learn and work in safety,” Senator Henderson, also the shadow minister for education, said.
Free Palestine Plans Major Nationwide Port Protests
The group, which organises weekly rallies at State Library Victoria, asked its supporters to exercise caution before the rally and to avoid “the Zionists’ possible attempt to provoke violent confrontation.”The group has also planned rallies on May 25 at major ports across the country against Israeli shopping company ZIM.
They include Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, and possibly Newcastle.
“For this national day of action we do not intend to blockade or picket across any ports—the intent is to amass large crowds across all Australian ports to unify our calls to boycott Apartheid Israel and stop the genocide in Gaza,” the group wrote on Facebook.
“We call on all sections of our community and all supportive organisations to join the rally. We encourage families, unions, Arab and Palestinian communities, students, and anti-Zionist Jews to take part in this mass demonstration.”
