A protest by a group of Pro-Palestinian supporters over the arrival of an Israeli cargo ship at Port Botany in Sydney ended with a swathe of arrests despite the union involved saying the gathering was peaceful.
Over a hundred protestors including several representatives and members from the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) gathered at Patrick Terminal at the port in anticipation of a cargo ship owned by Zim Integrated Shipping Services due to unload goods.
Zim is an Israeli company based in Haifa that operates in over 100 countries, serving more than 300 ports worldwide.
At the demonstrations on March 24, protestors were heard chanting “ZIM out of Botany, bombs out of Gaza” in reference to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and alleged genocide by the Israeli Defence Force.
They demanded that the NSW and federal governments exclude Zim’s cargo ships from Australian ports, and that the Israeli government should be stopped from trading with Australia while the conflict continues.
The protestors’ actions were curtailed by police who were present after receiving information via social media concerning the planned unauthorised protest.
In a statement, NSW Police responded to the protest at Port Botany at 6:50 p.m. and took further action when the group moved across Penhryn Road blocking access to the port.
Police said that the crowd, “Was directed to move from the roadway, and given some time to do so. A number did not comply, and were arrested for disobeying police direction.”
Inflammatory Language From Greens MP
Amongst the protestors was Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi who delivered a speech in which she said the police employed tactics that were “used to intimidate, to scare us.”The group, Unionists for Palestine, to which many of the protesters belong, said on X (formerly Twitter) that, “The Australian state stands with Israel’s crimes and imperialism! The workers stand with Palestine and all who fight for it!”
The MUA’s response to the arrests was at odds with the police’s narrative saying the “police moved in and started assaulting and arresting demonstrators,” before confirming their Branch Secretary Paul Keating was arrested along with other delegates and protest organiser Shane Reside.”
The arrested are expected to appear in court on May 8.
