On that day, Palestine stood at the centre of one of Australia’s most recognised landmarks, and a broad and powerful public movement became visible. It was ready to defend Palestinian rights, but also something wider: the right to life, freedom from starvation and forced displacement, equality before the law, and accountability for those responsible.

When the racist motive of a crime is not named, part of the experience disappears from the official story. The attack left me anxious. I now think before wearing a keffiyeh in public, not only because I fear another attack, but because I am no longer certain the justice system would recognise why I had been attacked.