Lidia Thorpe’s protest remarks spark controversy as Israeli hostage release nears

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As thousands marched through central Melbourne on Sunday to support Palestine, Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe sparked controversy by declaring she would “burn down Parliament House to make a point” if she had to.

With a Gaza ceasefire deal and the return of the remaining Israeli hostages imminent, 3500 protesters gathered in the city centre, according to Victoria Police.

Thousands again marched down Swanston Street on Sunday in support of Palestine.

Hundreds of members of the Jewish community gathered in Caulfield to welcome Monday’s expected peace deal.

Israel is expected to release nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners – about 250 prisoners in Israeli jails and about 1700 people detained in Gaza since the war began – on Monday in exchange for the 20 remaining hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis turned out on the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday to welcome the hostage deal, as US President Donald Trump prepared to fly to Egypt for a peace ceremony on Monday to be attended by as many as 20 other national leaders.

In Melbourne, the regular Free Palestine rally proceeded with speakers acknowledging that the peace deal was set to bring an end to the current conflict – but most eyed it with suspicion.

Among those to take to the stage was Thorpe, who compared the fate of the Palestinian people in Gaza to that of Indigenous Australians.

“We stand in solidarity because,” she said, “we know what it’s like to have a boot on our neck every moment that we are alive. But we have survived.”

Thorpe said she was willing to go to great lengths to fight for Indigenous and Palestinian people.

“We will fight every day,” she said. “And if I have to burn down Parliament House to make a point ... I am not there to make friends. I’m there to get justice for our people.”

Senator Lidia Thorpe addresses Sunday’s pro-Palestinian rally.

The federal opposition’s Senate leader, Michaelia Cash, later released a statement calling Thorpe’s statements “disgraceful and shocking but unfortunately unsurprising”. Cash said the opposition would “consider options available within the Senate to hold Senator Thorpe accountable”.

A Coalition source said options such as the censure of the independent senator, or a referral to the privileges committee, would be considered.

Also speaking to the thousands of protesters gathered at the State Library in Melbourne on Sunday was Palestinian activist Sarah Baarini, who said that while there had been a ceasefire called by Israel, it “does not mean liberation”.

“A ceasefire does not mean a free Palestine. A ceasefire is only a temporary respite for the Palestinian people, and let’s be honest – Israel cannot be trusted.”

Palestinian activist Sarah Baarini at the CBD rally.

Indigenous activist Gary Foley also spoke – though only briefly, saying “my lungs are f---ed, so I can’t speak for long”.

He urged Australians not to be “fooled by fake Trump bullshit – the fight goes on, the struggle goes on”. He said he wanted to “express the solidarity of the Aboriginal people with our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We stand with you in our mutual struggles for justice and freedom.”

Earlier at Caulfield Park, about 200 members of the Jewish community gathered to celebrate what they hope will be the end of captivity for the remaining hostages held by Hamas since 2023.

Among those to address the crowd was Liberal MP for Caulfield David Southwick, who said he hoped Monday’s hostage return would reduce the level of antisemitism he had seen since October 7, 2023.

“My hope is when the hostages finally come back, that things also go back to the way they were, and we can be finally welcome again – what we have seen as a community should never happen to anybody,” Southwick said. “Everybody should feel welcome, no matter who you are.”

State Liberal MP David Southwick (centre) addresses the crowd while flanked by fellow Liberal MPs James Newbury and Georgie Crozier. They joined about 200 members of the Jewish community who gathered on Sunday morning in Caulfield Park.

About 1200 people were killed during Hamas’ cross-border assault in 2023, and 251 were abducted.

AP reported last week that Israel’s retaliatory offensive had killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants.