Scuffles, arrests at pro-Palestine port protest
Hundreds of Palestinian supporters from trade unions have clashed with police at a Sydney port during a protest against an Israeli shipping line.
Police said 23 people were arrested at the unauthorised gathering at Port Botany on Tuesday night.
About 400 people waving flags and calling for ceasefire in Gaza gathered near the boat ramp at Foreshore Road before the group moved towards the intersection of Sirius and Foreshore Roads.
Officers issued a group move on direction but the protesters continued to occupy Foreshore Road, blocking traffic.
Free Palestine! Hundreds of people here to say no to Israeli shipping in Port Botany. pic.twitter.com/ycgIUHiMMX
— Palestine Justice Movement Sydney (@PalestineRising) November 21, 2023
“Foreshore Road was subsequently closed in both directions, as police continued to issue move on directions to several members of the group,” police said.
“After a number of people continued to refuse police direction, 23 people were arrested before all people left the roadway about 9pm.”
Those detained were taken to several police stations and charged with failing to comply with move on directions and disrupting a major facility.
Organisers say the demonstrators were there to protest the arrival of Israeli-owned container ship Calandra.
It was the second rally at the port and followed a protest in Melbourne on November 8 targeting trucks carrying containers owned by the same Israeli company.
The gathering began peacefully but video aired by television networks showed scuffles between police and some of the crowd later in the evening.
One of the demonstrators, who gave his name as Benjamin, told Nine News, “things started getting a little bit rough”.
“The cops started trying to move people by dragging them,” he said.
“They mostly arrested the organisers up the front who were not giving any ground.”
However, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley told ABC TV the officers involved “did a great job”.
Federal Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil called for calm and for people to respect each other.
“We have got some issues with community cohesion at the moment … Australia is not alone in facing what we are seeing which is protests and people expressing really strong feelings about this issue,” she told Nine’s Today Show.
“What I know is that we can get through this because we get through a lot of hard things as a nation and we do it by wrapping our arms around each other and showing each other respect, empathy and tolerance.”
A coalition of Palestinian unions and associations has called on workers worldwide to boycott Israel and businesses that support its regime.
The Port Botany protests have been organised by the Palestine Justice Movement Sydney with the support of the Sydney Branch of the Maritime Union of Australia.
AAP
Clare O’Neil, your words calling for calm and respect and saying we have some issues with community cohesion at the moment are nowhere near enough as a response to what is being voiced on this video by these pro-Palestinian protesters. ‘Free, free Palestine, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.’ – All Jews know what that means, and by now so do you and Australian politicians.
These people had no permission to be where they were and their words, so loud and clear, are extremely offensive and aggressive. Instead of talking about wrapping our arms around each other (clearly not on the agenda with pro-Palestinian demonstrators), how about facing the reality and defusing things by doing something about these verbally abusive demonstrations. For how much longer must Australian Jewish citizens put up with it?
In France and Germany they’re banned. They obviously know the difference in those countries between free speech and hate speech.