Give peace a chance
Yesterday, university students across Australia ditched classes and took to the streets in a sweeping show of solidarity with Palestine, calling on their institutions to divest from weapon manufacturers and companies linked to the ongoing conflict.
From Sydney to Melbourne and beyond, the message was clear: young people won’t stay silent.
Organised by grassroots collectives, the protests saw thousands gather outside campuses before spilling out onto city streets, armed with banners, chants and megaphones.
Many rallies focussed on pressuring universities to reveal and sever financial ties with weapon suppliers that are complicit in the conflict happening in Gaza.
The success of previous protests is evident, with The Australian National University’s statement that its long-term investment pool would not continue to fund ‘controversial weapons manufacturers and civilian small arms manufacturers’ last August, as a result of students deciding to raise their voice.
Despite the peaceful nature of these protests, the mainstream media coverage and traction these young people wound up with was predominantly a message of ‘chaos’ and numerous headlines stating arrests fuelled by grief, outrage and a desire to turn policy into protest gone ‘too far’.
In reality, the general consensus on the ground was a message of solidarity and support. Students spoke of watching footage from Rafah and feeling helpless, consequently finding power in collective action.
The benefit of these marches is amplified by the vast turn out on Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, with an estimated 90,000 marching for change, and receiving it – in part.
The federal government subsequently announced an additional 20 million in aid to humanitarian organisations in Gaza, showcasing that protesting really does make a difference.
In a year overflowing with protest energy – this wave is different. Generations of people from university students to the elderly are taking to the streets, recognising that this needs to be an urgent, global effort to implement immediate and unimpeded aid access to a nation facing one of the worst war scenes to date.
Georgie Tancred
