Pro-Palestine protestors climb Australia Parliament roof, blame Israel of war crimes
- In Reports
- 11:17 AM, Jul 04, 2024
- Myind Staff
Pro-Palestine demonstrators scaled the roof of the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, 4th July. Bearing banners proclaiming "Palestine will be free," they accused Israel of committing war crimes.
The serious security breach was condemned by lawmakers, who have called for an investigation.
According to CNN reports, four individuals dressed in black climbed onto the roof of the parliament building. They stood there for about an hour and unfurled banners, one of which read "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".
One of them used a megaphone to deliver a rallying speech, accusing Israel of war crimes—a charge that the warring nation continues to reject resolutely.
"We will not forget, we will not forgive and we will continue to resist," said the protester.
The protesters were led away by the police around 11:30 am local time (0130 GMT). Till then, people were advised by police and security to avoid walking directly under the protest at the building's main entrance.
Taking to social media platform X, opposition Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson described the protest in a post as a "serious breach of the Parliament's security."
"The building was modified at great expense to prevent incursions like this," he said, adding, "An investigation is required".
Over the eight months of the Israel-Hamas war, Australia has witnessed numerous pro-Palestine protests. Although the country currently does not recognise Palestinian statehood, Foreign Minister Penny Wong indicated in May that Australia might do so before a formal peace process between Israel and Palestinian authorities is concluded.
A United Nations inquiry last month concluded that both Israel and Hamas were guilty of committing war crimes in the early stages of the war that began on October 7th of last year. The inquiry further stated that Tel Aviv's actions also amounted to crimes against humanity due to the substantial civilian casualties.
Image source: Reuters
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