A group of pro-Palestinian protesters have scaled Parliament House in the Australian capital, unfurling banners denouncing Israel’s brutal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The anti-war protest move was carried out in Canberra on Thursday, the final day of parliamentary sessions before a six-week winter recess, forcing authorities to lock down some areas of Australia’s federal parliament.
The demonstration, which appeared to be coordinated with other actions highlighting the climate crisis and Indigenous rights, displayed slogans on their banners such as “War Crimes … Enabled Here”, “From the River to The Sea Palestine Will Be Free”, and “No Peace on Stolen Land.”
Self-identifying as Renegade Activists, protesters, from this vantage point, also read out a statement that called for an end to “US and Australian support for the genocidal” regime of Israel.
One of the protesters gave a speech using a megaphone condemning the Israeli regime for committing war crimes.
“We will not forget, we will not forgive and we will continue to resist,” the protester said.
They also threw paper planes inscribed with messages calling for Australia to support global peace and to end "the enabling of war crimes."
Police detained the four protesters who stood on the roof of the parliament building for around an hour before their detention.
The breach prompted a security upgrade and calls from the federal opposition for a thorough investigation into the incident. It took place despite a $120 million security upgrade to the building in 2017.
Israel launched its savage military campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip in early October. The regime has since killed about 38,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Israel’s genocidal war has placed vast swathes of Gaza in ruins, pushing 85 percent of the region's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice.