- by Vinnie Molina
- The Guardian
- Issue #2153
A group of trade unionists and concerned people in Perth held a 24-hour hunger strike for Palestine Friday 4th July 4 at the Murray Street Mall, Boorloo (Perth).
The action was in solidarity with the Gazan people who have been victims of genocide and of starvation as a weapon of war by the Zionist terrorist state of Israel.
The actions of Israel have had the support of the United States for more than seven decades. It supplies the weapons and the political endorsement for Israeli war crimes on the Palestinian people.
The event coincided with US Independence Day, a perfect opportunity for peace activists to speak out against the Australia-US Alliance and call for independence from the USA.
IPAN WA, Stop Aukus-WA, Medical Association for the Prevention of War, drummers for climate and other antiwar activists joined the strikers to call for the Australian government to cancel AUKUS and for an independent foreign policy.
Speakers on behalf of the hunger strikers demanded a ceasefire, an independent Palestinian state and called on the Albanese government to sanction Israel, to cut all military and trade links with the terrorist state.
The hunger strike action was well attended by passersby who stopped for chats, picked up information and made donations for the Union Aid Abroad APHEDA appeal for Gaza. The strike appeal had a $5,000 target which by the time of writing had been almost achieved.
Visitors to the action included a number of trade union leaders, secretaries and organisers of the CFMEU, ETU, CPSU, State Teachers’ Unions, Teachers for Palestine, Unionists for Palestine. We also received a visit from Greens WA Parliamentarian Sophie McNeill who has been a voice on urgent matters like the environment and Palestine. Passing by Indigenous legend Ernie Dingo also stopped for a yarn and expressed solidarity.
The action achieved what it set out to do; raising awareness through the action of trade unionists and members of the community fasting for 24 hours in a symbolic expression of commitment to a free Palestine and the end of the genocide.
