We, the undersigned political, community, workers, student, refugee and civil groups, express our collective concern with the curtailment of protest rights at the weekly Free Palestine protests held in ‘Victoria’.

We endorse and support the Free Palestine protests, attended by thousands over nine months of historic anti-war mass mobilisation.

We share Melbourne Legal Activist Support’s assessment that Victoria Police’s attempts to ban the use of a Public Address truck that has been used by organisers of the mass Free Palestine protest rallies each Sunday afternoon since October 2023, and by many of our groups for years, restricts the right of assembly.

The groups we represent regularly use a Public Address truck at mass demonstrations. We reject attempts to strip away the right to use a Public Address truck.

MALS has stated that Victoria Police imposing harmful, unfair and arbitrary restrictions has unduly impacted rights associated with Section 16 of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities (the Charter) by the removal of necessary infrastructure, and will unduly affect Deaf rally attendees by restricting visibility of Auslan interpreters.

We bear witness to the biased heavy deployment of police at Pro-Palestine activities that points to discriminatory and racial policing of the Free Palestine movement.

We raise concerns about the escalation of violence by Victoria Police and the removal of discretionary powers that is a political directive made by the Victorian Labor Government.

We raise concerns regarding the unaccountable leeway with which Victoria Police responds to masses of Free Palestine protestors with heavy police presence, physical force, OC spray and unnecessarily deploying divisional, PORT, surveillance and mounted branch officers.

We oppose the Australian and Victorian government’s vilification of the Free Palestine movement. We are all part of the movement standing against the genocide perpetuated against the Palestinian people.

We are protesting in the streets week after week because of the decisions made in the halls of the Federal and State Parliaments.

We demand that there is political accountability at all levels of government for the political directives given that undermine the basic human rights embedded in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights.

We demand that the right of assembly is defended and upheld.

We demand that attempts to ban the use of the PA truck are stopped.

We stand with the movement in fighting against the curtailment of protest rights.

None of us are free unless all of us are free.

Sovereignty has never been ceded. 

Undersigned,

Free Palestine Coalition Naarm
Sitintifada
Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance – WAR
Islamic Council of Victoria
Unionists for Palestine
Institute of Postcolonial Studies
Victorian Socialists – Palestine Action Group
Teachers and School Staff for Palestine Victoria
NTEU for Palestine
Tamil Refugee Council
Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET)
African Solidarity Collective
CDMS – Community Defense Marshalling System
Wyndham for Palestine
Hobsons Bay 4 Palestine
Australian Muslims for Palestine
Darebin for Palestine
Hume For Palestine
Melbourne for Palestine
Nillumbik 4 Palestine
Brimbank Solidarity Group for Palestine
Melton for Palestine
Wyndham Palestine Action Group
Greek Australians for a Free Palestine
Whittlesea for Palestine
Melton for Palestine
NTEU La Trobe Staff for Palestine
Monash 4 Palestine
Anak Bangsa Merdeka
Anak Bangsa Malaysia
Elbit Out of Victoria Coalition
Socialist Alternative
Students for Palestine
The Humanism Project
Solidarity
FILEF Melbourne

Photos by Tasnim Sammak, Matt Hrkac, Kenji and supplied.