Pro-Palestine protesters in Australia bar Israeli ship from docking
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Australian workers and protesters prohibit an Israeli ship from docking as international solidarity with Palestine mounts in light of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
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Palestinian supporters wave flags as they march to the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, October 9, 2023 (AP)
In a display of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, hundreds of Australians gathered at Sydney's Port Botany on Saturday to protest against an Israeli cargo ship, the Contship Dax, owned by ZIM, that was set to dock in the aforementioned port.
Protesters, amassed by the Palestine Justice Movement for Sydney and Trade Unionists for Palestine, claimed to have successfully delayed the ship's arrival, accusing ZIM of transporting weapons to the Israeli occupation.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, waving Palestinian flags, lined the shore, while others on jet skis yelled their opposition as the Contship Dax was scheduled to dock at midday. The organizers declared the demonstration as the "first step of the campaign against the Israeli shipping line ZIM."
The footage shows #Australians on jetskis blocking the departure of a cargo ship carrying arms on its way to the Israeli occupation, while a pro-#Palestine rally was taking place.#GazaUnderAttack #Australia pic.twitter.com/7RHxGi3gz9
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 12, 2023
Paddy Gibson of Trade Unionists for Palestine addressed the crowd, 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.
Channel 7 coverage of our action at Port Botany yesterday.
— Padraic Gibson (@paddygibson) November 12, 2023
Israeli shipping line ZIM changed their shipping schedule to avoid us. We pledged to return whenever they try to dock a ZIM ship.
Two are due next weekend.
Shut down Israeli businesses complicit with genocide. pic.twitter.com/IURgvkqBiv
The protest in Sydney followed clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators the previous night in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. Tensions escalated after a suspected arson attack on a pro-Palestinian burger shop, leading to confrontations between the two groups.
Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowds near the burger store, with at least one person sustaining minor injuries from a thrown rock. Another individual was pepper-sprayed and removed from the area, as reported by SBS television.
Hash Tayeh, the founder of the targeted burger chain, labeled the fire a hate crime, revealing that the establishment had received threats in the preceding weeks. The incident occurred after Tayeh attended a pro-Palestinian rally, further intensifying the ongoing tensions between supporters of pro-Palestinians and Zionists in Australia.
Pro-Palestinian solidarity on the rise
Similar acts have taken place in Oakland, US, and Melbourne Australia.
Pro-Palestine protesters have stopped a ship docked at the Port of Oakland from leaving with weapons supplies for "Israel" in early November.
Social media videos have circulated showing some of the protesters physically putting their bodies on the ladder of the ship to stop it from undocking.
Others held signs demanding a ceasefire and calling for an end to Israeli war crimes.
The protesters also blocked the entrance to Berth 20 where the container carrier Cape Orlando is moored. Protest groups said the ship was bound for "Israel" after being loaded with weapons and military equipment in Tacoma, Washington.
Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators blocked entry routes, preventing vehicles from reaching the region where an Israeli shipping line works, bringing a Melbourne shipyard to a complete stop on Wednesday.
The protesters affiliated with the Trade Unionists for Palestine organization blocked heavy traffic at the Victorian International Container Terminal by laying on the road draped in the Palestinian flag.
They demanded an immediate ceasefire, an end to the genocide in Gaza, and justice for Palestine with members of the Palestinian and Jewish communities.
Over two hundred demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held posters promoting Free Palestine while "keep the children safe" chants and drum beats reverberated throughout the shipyard.
The oldest and biggest shipping corporation in "Israel", ZIM, is being accused by demonstrators of having a long history of aiding war crimes and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.
The number of martyrs in the Gaza Strip has risen to over 11,000 people, including around 5,000 children and 3,000 women, the Ministry of Health in Gaza stated.
Israeli strikes have injured 26,475 people since the beginning of the aggression on October 7.
While the US sends the occupation more “aid”, the Israeli occupation forces have targeted an ambulance convoy departing from Al-Shifa Hospital heading to the Rafah border crossing.
The IOF have previously targeted ambulances, as well as hospitals, committing numerous massacres against the people of Gaza.
