Tempers Flare at Latest Palestine Solidarity Rally in Victoria

Over 300 protesters rallied for Palestine in Victoria for the twenty-seventh weekend in a row, denouncing an ever-escalating confrontation in Gaza and beyond. Everyone has grown weary, and tempers reflected that.

UPDATE 2024/04/14: I’ve taken down this article’s previous featured image upon request after being told one of our community members has taken an unexpectedly high amount of flak as a result. Those of you who lashed out at that person make my point: you should all switch to decaf, before we tear ourselves apart with petty disputes.

This is understandable. Over six months into a crisis, protesting relentlessly with little results to show for in the end, the troops are frustrated. The latest news from the region depict a regional conflict that looks not only inevitable but imminent. And of course our beloved Prime Minister is quick to side with Israel in spite of it being the instigator, as usual.

To make things worse, the event today started on the wrong foot. Sixty members of a Zionist religious group named Esthers Arise chose this moment to rally on the Legislature precincts. Rallies were to be held at every provincial legislature on this day, so this wasn’t a counterprotest. In fact, the group did not react to any provocations from our end and did not express any condemnations toward us. By the beginning of the march, the last few of them had orderly dispersed.

It’s actually our own side that had me concerned, and as much as I would like to talk about Palestine, I think we need to have a conversation about what happened today. For example, remember the Zionist riding a scooter with an Israel flag, who shows up every other march? He came as close as the fountain today, causing quite the stir this time. The shouting was so bad that several cops had to rush in, and a liaison officer even raised his voice at hostile protesters—at least until I started recording.

This pattern would be repeated throughout the afternoon, especially during the march. On our way up Government Street, multiple marchers yelled at the Zionist in question with a megaphone at point blank range, so loudly that the cops were plugging their ears. And a scuffle ensued, which escalated almost to the point of arrest. If I hadn’t been there recording in a conspicuous manner left and right, at least one of ours would be in jail by now—and it’s not just me saying it; at some point a lawyer standing by echoed my thoughts. I swear I’m withholding lots of footage too sensitive for publication.

I could talk about the speeches instead, but one of them at an intersection was actually a rant about the cops, complaining that they stood between our own and the hostiles, protecting the latter. Okay, I’m not going to comment on whether the rebuke was merited (guess what my answer would be…), but I will state it wasn’t wise in the circumstances. The last thing we needed at this point was escalation, and the speaker poured fuel on the fire.

I may have a reputation for causing escalation, but today it felt like I was the one trying to defuse tensions all over the place with my cell phone and a few friendly warnings. Seriously, I have yet to engage with a single hostile since October in spite of my continual proximity to them; I prefer letting them talk to my camera. If we’re going to win this campaign in the court of public opinion, the rest of us needs to learn to keep their composure as well.