A year of conflict: Geelong rallies for peace

PRO-PALESTINE protesters gathered at the weekend to mark the first anniversary of the war in Gaza and criticise the federal government and City of Greater Geelong for what they describe as inaction “in the face of apartheid, occupation and genocide”.

The group of 50 protesters came together at Little Malop Street Mall on Saturday before marching to Transvaal Square, near Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ office on Brougham Street.

Several speakers addressed the crowd, including First Nations woman and advocate Julie Saylor-Briggs, Extinction Rebellion activists Violet Coco and Brad Homewood, and Muslim Votes volunteer Mohamed El-Masri.

“We gather here not just as witnesses to a tragedy, but as agents of change, as people who cannot and will not stay silent,” Lebanese-Iraqi activist and founding member of Free Palestine Geelong, Noor Al-Assafi said.

“It’s important that we acknowledge that each of us has a role to play in bringing an end to this ongoing violence, starting right here at home.

“This is not a time for apathy. This is a time for action, and we must remain steadfast no matter the personal cost.”

The conflict, which has claimed thousands of lives and began on October 7 last year when Hamas-led militant groups attacked Israel, has since escalated into Lebanon.

“My own family, who are still in Lebanon, have been doing what they can to help those fleeing violence, helping families who lost everything with essentials like food, water, sanitary products for women, offering what they can,” Ms Al-Assafi said.

“This violence is spreading, and it threatens to engulf the entire region.

“It is a humanitarian catastrophe, and the world cannot continue to turn a blind eye while people in Palestine and now Lebanon are being bombed out of their homes.”

The rally follows candlelight vigils held last week in both Torquay and Geelong to honour and mourn the lives lost in the conflict.