Mass Gaza solidarity rally shuts Sydney Harbour Bridge amid calls for ceasefire and aid

Torrential rain failed to deter tens of thousands marching across Sydney Harbour Bridge in a "March for Humanity", their demands cutting through the downpour: an immediate ceasefire, urgent aid for Gaza, and condemnation of Western support for Israel. The demonstration, swollen with protesters chanting "stop killing children", had earlier defeated a police attempt to block the bridge via Supreme Court intervention. Emotional voices rose above the crowd—one calling Gaza's plight "appalling", another pleading "give them food"—as drone footage captured the sea of umbrellas stretching across the halted city. Police eventually redirected the march, citing safety concerns, though not before the protest's sheer scale underscored Australia's shifting sympathies. The rally coincided with Canberra's impending recognition of Palestinian statehood, a move activists hope will spur other Western nations to follow suit. Beneath the spectacle of defiance lay raw anguish over starvation and bombardment, with one protester insisting: "We must scream to be heard." The bridge, usually a postcard landmark, became instead a artery of collective outrage, its closure a testament to the movement's gathering force. Al Jazeera’s Sarah Clarke reports from Sydney. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #Australia #Sydney #IsraelGazaWar #GazaSolidarityRally #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow #GazaGenocide #SydneyHarbourBridgeProtest #GazaSolidarityMarch #GazaStarvationCrisis #GazaUnderAttack #MarchForHumanity