Australian students in Sydney skipped classes to stand in support of Palestine and call for the freedom of Palestinians, on Friday, November 24.

Just a day after a student-organized pro-Palestinian protest in Melbourne, students of all ages took to Sydney's Town Hall and marched into the city in a show of solidarity with Gaza, holding Palestinian banners and flags.

The protests were heavily discouraged by Australian officials who urged students to attend classes instead. 

Hundreds of students rally at Town Hall in Gadi/Sydney for the #SchoolStrikeForPalestine #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/o119UlKVP9

— Green Left (@GreenLeftOnline) November 24, 2023

Cities all over Australia witnessed mass rallies since October 7, calling for the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, denouncing the genocide and accusing the Australian government of complicity for its pro-"Israel" stance. 

Australian protesters have previously gathered at Sydney's Port Botany and delayed the arrival of an Israeli ship set to dock there, accusing it of carrying weapons to export to "Israel". 

Paddy Gibson of Trade Unionists for Palestine addressed the crowd at the time, vowing to inflict economic damages on the Israeli occupation. "They're in every port of the world, which means we can fight them in every port of the world and bring them to their knees," Gibson stated, emphasizing the need to target "Israel" economically.

Read more: Australia's Greens Party walks out of session in pro-Palestine protest

Australia secretly supports 'Israel'

Following Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" on October 7, Australian authorities deployed troops in the Middle East, drastically adding to the number of American troops in the region. 

Australia also chose to abstain from the UN motion to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, an act justified by Australian trade minister Don Farrell, who responded by affirming "Israel's" "right to defend itself."

A recent report by Declassified Australia discussed the American surveillance base, Pine Gap, in Australia, which gathers an enormous range of communications and electronic intelligence from the Israeli war on Gaza, stressing that this data is provided to the Israeli forces.

“Pine Gap facility is monitoring the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas with all its resources, and gathering intelligence assessed to be useful to Israel,” a former Pine Gap employee has told Declassified Australia.

The Australian army has supported US-led wars throughout history, including the invasion of Iraq. 

Read more: Australia’s secret support for Israeli war on Gaza, through Pine Gap