After 71 weeks, city-stopping pro-Palestine protests to wind down

Organisers also urged supporters to use the time between monthly protests to promote the rallies “far and wide” with posters and social media updates.

Loading

In December, Premier Jacinta Allan called for the end of the weekly Melbourne rallies, saying they were intimidating Jewish people.

At the time, Mashni said the weekly protests would continue and said on Wednesday that government pressure was not a factor in the decision to reduce the frequency of the protests.

“The move to monthly is about creating a space where we can think more deeply about more strategic actions,” he said.

“It doesn’t preclude snap actions – I imagine as the ceasefire falls apart and the genocide continues that we will be out in the days and hours after.”

The announcement of fewer protests follows the beginning of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last month.

That deal is still in its initial six-week stage involving the release of Israeli hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Hamas militants killed around 1200 people in the October 2023 attack, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250, of whom about 100 are still being held. Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank since then are estimated to have killed at least 62,000 people.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.