Pro-Palestine supporters rally for Gaza in Sydney and Melbourne as they issue desperate plea in their calls for peace

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Sydney and Melbourne for the eighth week in a row, using the rally to call for more union support.

Protesters filled Sydney's Hyde Park, while those in Melbourne took over the entire road in front of Flinders St Station on Sunday as they called on Australian leaders to call for peace and an end to fighting in Palestine.

They were heard singing: 'Peace is a union's business, peace is all ours'.

A strong feature of the Melbourne meeting was that organizers called on union leaders, especially Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary Sally McManus, to join the call for peace.

“The leaders of the ACTU, I want to tell them this, we want you to organize, organize and organize a union meeting, a meeting that will bring them together,” Christy Cain, secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia WA, shouted over the microphone.

“Sally McManus, we need you, we need you at these rallies, we need you calling for peace.

“We need you to mobilize the masses in Australia and our connections around the world.”

Although Ms McManus did not attend the meeting, the ACTU said it “condemns attacks on civilians” and has called for “an end to the occupation of Palestine”.

“The ACTU calls on the Australian government to use all tools of diplomacy to stop Israel's bombing and ground attacks on Gaza and to call for an immediate ceasefire,” the union said in the weeks after the first to attack.

“We reiterate the Australian trade union movement's strong opposition to war, violence and racism, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.”

“The killing of civilians and collective punishment must stop,” Ms. McManus wrote on X, adding to the statement.

Red, green, white and black were overwhelming as hundreds of Palestinian flags were raised by protesters or carried around their shoulders.

With tensions high in Australian streets following the attack, protest organizers quickly declared that they were calling for peace rather than religious violence.

“Let us make it very clear again: this is not a war and, more importantly, this is not a war of Jews against Muslims,” a protest organizer was heard saying over the microphone.

“This has nothing to do with interfaith issues. We demand that our leaders stop lying, we demand it.”

Her call was met with cries of “shame” from the audience, directed at politicians and other leaders.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” was used as a rallying cry at both protests.

The protest has taken place every week since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,500 people and taking dozens of hostages.

Many of the Israeli hostages were freed in a prisoner swap during the recent ceasefire, although both sides rejected calls to renew the ceasefire last Saturday.

At least 240 people have been killed since the pause ended Friday and the assault on northern Gaza continued.

Areas in Khan Younis in southern Gaza came under fire this weekend, while sirens sounded in southern Israel as Hamas attacked Tel Aviv.

More than 15,000 Palestinians, including 6,150 children, have been killed in the conflict, while Israel's official death toll stands at 1,200.

Prayers were read in English and Arabic as the crowd fell silent as they sought safety from the besieged Palestinians.

Huge Palestinian flags were seen at both protests, with Melburnians carrying theirs through the streets, while Sydneysiders laid theirs on the ground.

A large watermelon flag, used as a symbol of Palestinian resistance, with messages for Palestinians written on it, was also carried during the protest in Sydney.

'Where were you when people were murdered, where were you when hospitals were demolished, where were you when entire neighborhoods were bombed. We're going to remember: whatever you do, keep doing it.'

'Ask better!'

Both rallies saw a heavy police presence to keep things calm, with public order officers, riot police, mounted police and other crew members seen at the protests.

Events remained peaceful on Sunday afternoon with no arrests made and no incidents recorded at either gathering.