A sea of demonstrators flooded central Sydney on Sunday in one of the largest protests the city has seen in decades, as thousands rallied to demand an immediate end to the ongoing war in Gaza. With chants echoing through the streets, signs raised high, and Palestinian flags waving from balconies and overpasses, the crowd called for a permanent ceasefire and accountability for the mounting civilian death toll.
From Town Hall to Hyde Park, the atmosphere was electric, not just with anger and grief, but with a deep sense of solidarity. Organizers estimated over 150,000 people attended, with some observers saying the number felt even larger. Public transport overflowed, streets were shut down, and aerial footage showed an unbroken tide of people stretching for blocks.
“It felt like the whole city came out,” said Amal Khatib, a second-generation Palestinian-Australian and one of the event’s speakers. “People from all walks of life — students, unions, church groups, Jewish Australians, First Nations activists — all standing up because enough is enough.”
The protest comes amid growing international condemnation of the war in Gaza, now in its tenth month, with the death toll surpassing 38,000, the vast majority of them civilians, according to humanitarian organizations. Israel’s latest military campaign, launched in response to Hamas’s October 2024 attack, has devastated large parts of the enclave, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced and critical infrastructure in ruins.
In Sydney, the protest was marked by moments of silence, poetry readings, and emotional testimonies from people with family still trapped in Gaza. Others held up photos of children killed in airstrikes, while loudspeakers blasted messages from survivors recorded in Rafah and Khan Younis.
“Gaza is not just a headline — these are human lives,” said Sarah Murphy, a nurse from Newcastle who traveled to Sydney for the rally. “We can’t stay silent while our government continues to supply weapons or offer political cover.”
Several Australian politicians, including members of the Greens and independent MPs, joined the march and called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to suspend military cooperation with Israel and push for stronger diplomatic action.
“We are witnessing crimes against humanity,” said MP Mehreen Faruqi. “The Australian public is ahead of its leaders — we’re demanding a moral stance.”
Though the demonstration was largely peaceful, tensions flared briefly outside the U.S. consulate, where a group of protesters scuffled with police. No major injuries were reported, and organizers quickly called for calm.
Authorities said it was one of the largest protest turnouts in Sydney since the anti-Iraq war rallies in 2003.
As dusk fell and thousands lit candles in the park, there was a powerful sense that this protest was not just a moment, but part of a global wave of pressure demanding justice.
“The world is watching Gaza burn,” said Khatib from the stage. “And today, Sydney raised its voice so loud it couldn’t be ignored.”