Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner ordered his officers to light up the Story Bridge with Israeli flag colours. To add insult to injury, Brisbane City Council now refuses to turn off the big video screen in King George Square while thousands of Palestinians and their supporters mourn the dead in Gaza. Palestinian mothers display the shoes of dead children in the square. This has happened on at least two previous occasions in King George Square.
Disrespect shown by Brisbane Lord Mayor Schrinner for the Palestinian martyrs murdered by Israeli occupation forces
Calls for ceasefire and respect for the dead have fallen on deaf ears in almost every area of Australian civil society and its institutions. The Australian government has placed itself on the side of genocide along with the United States and Israel. Prime Minister Albanese waited 67 days to call for a ceasefire when, according to international military strategists, it became clear that Israel was not winning the war against the Palestinian resistance on either a political or on a military level. A small band of Palestinian fighters has held off one of the most powerful and well resourced military is in the world.
Brisbane City Council officers told the Justice for Palestine Meanjin organisers at last Sunday’s rally in King George Square that they were unable to turn off the big screen overlooking the many thousands of people mourning the dead. They lie. Their response flies in the face of all humanity. It is inhuman and it is supported by the Brisbane City Council and it’s Lord Mayor. Omar Ashour, the President of the Palestinian Society In Brisbane (Falasteen Inc) wrote to the Lord Mayor over a month ago about his decision to light up the Story Bridge and received the following reply from Lord Mayor Schrinner:
“Council has, on many occasions in the past, chosen to show support for countries that have been the subject of terrorist attacks by lighting city assets in their national colours. We did so again on 8 October 2023.”
On 26 October 2023, Mr Ashour replied to the Lord Mayor “Thank you for the advice about the legal status of Hamas in Australia. I already knew that. Allow me to reciprocate the legal advice, by bringing to your attention the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. I would have preferred if you had addressed my original concern of the Brisbane City Council choosing political sides in an unfolding and an ongoing war, by lighting the Story Bridge in the Israeli flag colours. This measure, if not countered, benefits no one, drives a wedge into our community, and casts a doubt on council’s impartiality. If you truly denounce terrorism, then surely, you would denounce the killing of the 7000 (now many thousands more) Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli occupation forces in the ongoing offensive on Gaza, so far. And what better way you can show your unequivocal resentment to terror against civilians, other than by lighting the Story Bridge, yet again, but in the Palestinian flag colours this time (Red, Green, While & Black).”
Contrast Brisbane City Council with an extraordinary meeting of Merri-bek City Council, in Melbourne’s north, on November 8 condemned Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The motion calls for: an immediate ceasefire; for the siege on Gaza to be lifted to allow access to food, water, fuel, electricity, medical supplies and construction materials; all Palestinian and Israeli hostages to be released; a political resolution to the decades-long conflict; and an end to all military, economic, political and diplomatic ties with Israel until it complies with its obligations under international law.
It also asked the council to explore options to cancel contracts with any companies that support or profit from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. Please find relevant correspondence below.
Ian Curr
The Big Ride for Palestine (Australia)
15 Nov 2023
Good afternoon everybody and a big thanks for joining in today. I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and pay respect to their elders, past and present.
We, who have gathered here today, come from all walks of life and·make up the colorful, multi-cultural and multi-racial social fabric of this lovely country. And this social fabric, woven with the universal values of human rights, compassion and co-operation makes us not only all-inclusive, but also unique. And another trait that distinguishes us Australians, is our empathy towards the less fortunate, in other parts of the world.
We understand, that the freedom, the comfort, the privileges that we enjoy every minute and every day of our lives, without giving it a single thought, is a luxury that some people around the world have not tasted even for a single minute. In their whole life. And yes, I am talking about the Gazans, The Palestinians. A people, who have been subject to inhuman oppression for the last 75 years, but caught the attention of the world only now, when their oppression and torture reached the heights of violence. For those of us who have empathy and vision enough, can we imagine a situation worse than this? If a country as corrupt as Israel, wanted to create hell on earth.
We have had enough of heart-wrenching videos from the … I won’t call it War zone but- the Genocide zone. We’ve had enough of lip-service, table-talks, rallies, boycotts in support of the oppressed Palestinians. It does NOT mean that we should stop doing these. It just means that even these efforts are not enough. We need to do more.
And by “we” I mean our political leaders. Because the people of Australia are already doing what they can, to show their solidarity with their Palestinian brothers and sisters. I hope the government knows, that for the 100s and 1000s of common people who leave the comfort of their homes to attend these rallies, there are 1000s more, silently supporting the Palestinian cause, but unable to attend. These pro-Palestine rallies that we see all across Australia, give us some rays of hope in these dark times. However, this hope can last only if we see some action to support it on the ground too. REAL action that leads to REAL changes in the ground reality of Gaza. ACTION, that immediately and unconditionally stops the bloody massacre of civilians that Israel is carrying out with impunity.
NOW is the time for the political leadership of the country to step up. To show to the world, and first of all to our own citizens, that they are ‘leaders’ in real sense of the word. Not just politicians, acting as the puppets of the Zionist lobby.
-Leaders, that have the moral courage to call out a murderous cruel country like Israel.
-Leaders, who will do all that they can, to stop this deadly dance of death that is playing out in front of the eyes of our so-called civilized world.
-Leaders, who are true to their word.
-Who do not bat for both sides.
-Who do not run with the hare and hunt with the hound.
-Whose moral compass is not so broken that they cannot distinguish between the criminal and the victim.
-Who can clearly make out Right from Wrong.
-AND, who have the spine to support the oppressed, not just with words, but also with their actions.
Because isn’t this what Democracy is about? Honouring the will of the people? Listening to their just demands and taking action? Just some of the things that each and every political leader can do right now, are :
First, Unequivocally, condemn the actions of Israel.
Second. Use sanctions against Israeli businesses to put economic pressure.
Third. Stop supplying arms to an already blood-thirsty apartheid country like Israel that is criminal shameless enough to conduct ethnic-cleansing of a helpless population in full view of the world.
Fourth. Hold the mainstream media accountable for its pro-Israel and biased reporting.
We, the common people, want to call out the double standards of the Mainstream Media and the Political leadership of the world, for: Pretending that Israeli life is more sacred than Palestinian lives. Hence every talk, every debate starts with the 1400 Israelis killed on the 7th of Oct, while totally ignoring the 1000s & 1000s of Palestinians that were killed, maimed, dispossessed and imprisoned by the Israelis before that and ever since.
Pretending that the genocide that is going on, began after the attacks on the 7th of October. When, we all know that it was just one of the incidents in a chain of events, started by Israel 75 years back. And, it has just been escalating since then.
Giving publicity to the pro-Israel “Fake” news of babies being beheaded, but suppressing the REAL news of REAL Gazan babies being blown up by Israeli bombs.
Calling the Israeli Terrorist Force or The Israeli Occupation Force – because that is what their reality is – as Israeli “Defense” Force. Because, it is like calling a bunch of robbers as “Our Saviors”. It just adds insult to injury.
S. Using the term “War” instead of Genocide. It pretends that somehow, there are 2 parties that are at war with each other and their armies are fighting in a battlefield. While the reality is that the heavily armed military of Israel, is relentlessly bombing and attacking civilians, kids, women and other non combatants in Gaza, who are either living in their homes, OR fleeing from their homes OR taking shelter in refugee camps OR admitted in the over-burdened-and over-crowded hospitals of Gaza, as a result of their injuries.
Would the media dare call the Holocaust against Jews as a “War” between Jews and Nazis? Can you imagine the international outrage it would cause if Media started using the word “War” instead of Holocaust. Like, what happened to the Jews in the war between Jews and Nazis? Will our so-called “world leaders” stop parroting the narrative of a Maniac, Raging, Genocidal war criminal like Israel, that it has the “Right to defend itself’. Which law in the world gives a robber the RIGHT to rob somebody of their property and then kill his victims and then claim that he was defending himself?? Has our moral compass, as human beings, got so broken that we cannot see tyranny, massacre and oppression even when it is happening right in front of our eyes.
No. The resilience and courage of the brave Palestinians has opened the eyes of the world now. And we, the common people, have seen the truth. We cannot Un-see it now. In fact, we SHOULD not unsee it.
Because we have to become the voice of the Palestinians, who have no voice right now. All they have is prayers, screams and sobs from the horror raining down all around them. All of which is drowned in the sounds of the bombs exploding around them, every few minutes.
SO, we look forward to the leadership of Australia, to prove to the world that it is a TRUE democracy – A democracy that values and respects the wishes of its people. That has the courage to stand up for Justice and Truth. And, in this fight between Good and Evil, that wants to go down in history as being on the side of Good.