4 Pro-Palestine Protesters Scale Australian Parliament's Roof, Unfurl Banners Criticising Gaza War; Arrested

The four protesters rolled out several banners from the Australian parliament's roof that said: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ and ‘No peace on stolen land’.

Canberra: Four pro-Palestine protesters were arrested on Thursday for climbing the roof of Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra. The protesters stood on the roof of the building for almost an hour and unfurled banners, criticising the Gaza war. One of the banners read: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a common refrain of pro-Palestine protestors, news agency Reuters reported.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, the four protestors belonged to the Renegade Activists group and were dressed in dark clothing.

Reuters reported that one of the protestors also gave a speech using a megaphone, accusing the Israeli government of war crimes. The protestor said: "We will not forget, we will not forgive and we will continue to resist."

"We declare to the Australian government we will continue to unmask and resist the US imperial, hegemonic, and capitalist interests you devote yourself to," Al Jazeera quoted a protester as saying.

The demonstration at the national parliament on July 4 came after recent disagreements in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labour administration, which dismissed Fatima Payman, a senator who crossed the floor to support Australia's recognition of a Palestinian state, according to Al Jazeera.  

She stated at a news conference that "witnessing the government's indifference to the greatest injustice of our times makes me question the direction the party is taking."  

After being arrested, the four protesters were charged with trespassing, and banned from the grounds of parliament for two years, Reuters reported, citing a spokesperson for Australian Capital Territory police as saying.

'Serious Breach Of Parliament's Security'

Milton Dick, the Speaker of Australia's lower house, said that he had ordered an investigation in order to find out how the security breach happened.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese strongly condemned the protests, stating that “those responsible for this act should feel the full force of the law. Peaceful protest plays an important part in our society, but this was not a peaceful protest,” the Reuters report noted.

Meanwhile, Opposition Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson, in a post on X, called the incident a "serious breach of Parliament's security."

Ever since the war began, Australia has been the site of several pro-Palestine protests, which include weekly demonstrations in major cities and a month-long occupation of university campuses, Al Jazeera reported.

Although Australia called for a ceasefire in the conflict, it has not formally acknowledged Palestinian statehood. However, Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated in May that it may do so before Israel and Palestinian authorities conclude a formal peace process, Reuters reported.