SYDNEY: Tens of thousands of demonstrators, including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, braved pouring rain to march across Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge on Sunday calling for peace and aid deliveries in the war-torn Gaza Strip, where a humanitarian crisis has been worsening.

Nearly two years into a war which has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, governments and humanitarian organisations say a shortage of food is leading to widespread starvation.

Some of those attending the ‘March for Humanity’ carried pots and pans as symbols of the hunger.

Marchers ranged from the elderly to families with young children. Among them was Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Many carried umbrellas. Some waved Palestinian flags and chanted “We are all Palestinians”.

New South Wales police said up to 90,000 people had attended, far more than expected. The protest organiser, Palestine Action Group Sydney, said in a Facebook post as many as 300,000 people may have marched.

Police were also present in Melbourne, where a similar protest march took place.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2025