Australia arrested four pro-Palestinian activists Thursday for scaling the national Parliament and unfurling banners reading “Palestine will be free.”
The protesters accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of complicity in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
The small protest follows recent divisions within the Labor government, which suspended a Muslim senator who crossed the floor to vote in favor of Australia recognizing a Palestinian state.
Senator Fatima Payman, who later quit the Labour party, said she had been “exiled” after supporting the parliamentary motion – put forward by the Greens party – in defiance of government policy.
Like many of its Western allies, Australia does not recognize a Palestinian state. Canberra has expressed its support for an eventual two-state solution.
Protest group Renegade Activists told Australian media they would “not forget” and “not forgive” Albanese, accusing him of complicity in the Gaza Strip’s bloodiest-ever war.
Clad in black and wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, the small group of protesters climbed the facade at the entrance to Australia’s Parliament before rolling out several large black-and-white banners.
Opposition Sen. James Paterson said it was a “serious breach of the parliament’s security.”
The Gaza war was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that caused around 1,200 deaths and took around 250 hostages from southern Israel.
Israel’s brutal military offensive has killed nearly 38,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
The public entrance to Australia’s Parliament was briefly locked down Thursday after a separate group of climate activists glued themselves to pillars in the lobby.
