Ceasefire called on Sunday pro-Palestine protests

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After two years of anti-war protests, calm could return to the centre of Melbourne as early as this Sunday.

The lead organiser of the demonstrations staged outside the State Library of Victoria every Sunday, the Free Palestine Coalition, announced on social media that following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, it would pause the protests.

A pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne on August 24.

Mai Saif, a spokesperson for another organising group, Free Palestine Melbourne, confirmed the decision was supported by the broader pro-Palestinian movement.

“It is suspended for now,” she said. “At this stage, the weekly, regular rallies every Sunday won’t be going ahead.”

In a social media post, the rally organising committee said protests had been set to continue until there was a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire deal on October 10.

The news was cautiously welcomed by Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece, who earlier this week urged the protests to stop.

“If we can achieve peace in the Middle East surely we can have peace on the streets of Melbourne again,” Reece said on Thursday.

“After two years of disruption, it is time for Melbourne to get some relief. Visitors can come to our city knowing they can enjoy our beautiful restaurants, galleries, theatres and shows without having to skirt a protest and deal with all the disruption that comes from that.”

Committee for Melbourne chief executive Scott Veenker said reducing the regular disruption in the heart of the city would have an immediate positive effect.

“It will mean businesses can trade more easily, residents can enjoy their city, and visitors can experience Melbourne at its best. It should give everyone the space to reconnect with the CBD and help reinforce Melbourne’s standing as an open, welcoming and globally admired city.”

The protest pause will also provide relief to Victoria Police, who since October 2023 have dedicated 25,000 shifts to maintaining public order at the rallies. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said at the start of this week that this was not the best use of limited police resources.

“They have empathy and compassion for whatever their cause may be – not for us to judge,” Bush said of the protesters. “But what I ask is that they also have empathy and compassion for the people of Melbourne. If I took half of those 25,000 shifts and dedicated them to prevention, we’d have less crime.”

Police have been given additional powers to deal with the protests, including a ban on face coverings at demonstrations. The Allan government resisted pressure to introduce a NSW-style permit system to regulate protests.

A pro-Palestinian protest in Melbourne was held within days of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, atrocities, in which 1200 Israelis were murdered and 250 taken hostage. The protests have continued nearly every Sunday throughout a war which, according to Gazan health authorities, has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians. At their peak, the protests attracted more than 10,000 people.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said an end to the regular protests would signal to Melbourne’s Jewish people they are again welcome in their own city.

“In addition to the trauma of October 7 and the horrible consequences of the war over the last two years, we have certainly felt the city was off limits to the Jewish community as a result of these protests,” Leibler said.

“I would hope that everyone would take the opportunity, now that there is a ceasefire, the hostages have been returned and humanitarian aid is flowing into Gaza, to reflect upon what their contribution might be not to a conflict on the other side of the world, but to social cohesion here in this country.”

Liberal MP David Southwick, whose electorate of Caulfield includes a large Jewish population, said it was time to heal divisions and rebuild trust.

“For more than two years our Jewish community has felt hate, intimidation and exclusion from these demonstrations,” he said. “It has taken a toll on families, students and business owners who simply want to feel safe and welcome in their own city. Let’s hope this is more than a temporary pause.”

A cessation of the regular Sunday rallies – assuming the ceasefire in Gaza holds – will not mean an end to the pro-Palestinian movement in Melbourne.

Saif, of Free Palestine Melbourne, said the pro-Palestinian movement would shift its focus to larger and more occasional national days of action in support of Palestinian people living in Gaza and the West Bank. “We have always called for justice and liberation,” she said. “We recognise the genocide isn’t over, that the famine is ongoing.”

It is also unlikely that Melbourne, a city known as the protest capital of Australia, will be free of demonstrations this Sunday. One of the Palestinian groups has already organised a protest against racism and fascism outside the State Library on Sunday morning.

A police spokesman said that this weekend would be treated as business as usual.

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