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Pro-Palestinian protesters scale Australian parliament roof

July 4, 2024

The protesters climbed the roof of Australia's Parliament House in Canberra, in a serious security breach.

https://p.dw.com/p/4hqJ5
Taken from video footage provided by Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) shows protesters with banners above the main entrance to Parliament House in Canberra
The four protesters were on the roof for about an hour before security and law enforcement took them awayImage: Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC)/AFP

Pro-Palestine protesters climbed the roof of Australia's Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday in a security breach that was condemned by lawmakers.

Four people clad in black and wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, climbed the facade at the entrance to Australia's parliament before rolling out banners. One read "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" — a common refrain at pro-Palestinian rallies and an expression that has been declared illegal in Germany. They stood there for about an hour.

One protester used a megaphone to give a speech, accusing the Israeli government of war crimes. "We will not forget, we will not forgive and we will continue to resist," the protester said.

Israel has repeatedly denied allegations of war crimes.

A UN inquiry found last month that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the war. It said that Israel's actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses.

The protesters packed up their banners before being led away by waiting police at around 11:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT).

'Serious breach' 

"This is a serious breach of the Parliament's security," opposition Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson said in a post on social media platform X.

The demonstration comes after recent cracks within Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government which suspended a Muslim senator after she broke with her colleagues to vote in favor of Australia recognizing a Palestinian state. 

Since the war began on October 7, Australia has been the site of several pro-Palestinian protests, including weekly demonstrations in major cities and a months-long occupation of university campuses 

Campus protests: Pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli?

mk/jsi (AFP, Reuters)