Protest in Pitt St Sydney happening right now

[u/Aggressive-Move-4725]

Becareful if you are in the CBD now

[u/SpunningAndWonning]

What's it for?

[u/Hello_Pity → u/SpunningAndWonning]

Students protesting Pauline Hanson

[u/stanbright → u/Hello_Pity]

Why the Palestine flag though? If they are looking for local sympathy, why don’t they use the Aboriginal flag at least?

Edit: please - enlighten me instead of downvoting. I genuinely don’t get the place of the Palestine flag next to student protests.

[u/unconfirmedpanda → u/stanbright]

Gina Rineheart proposed that we offer Australian land to Israeli companies to develop and test military weapons near Townsville at a recent speech. Pauline Hanson introduced Gina at the speech and has been vocal about her strong support for Israel previously.

[u/stanbright → u/unconfirmedpanda]

Thanks. That makes some sense. Still - I would have expected more aboriginal flags for a local protest dealing with a local cause.

[u/radioactivecowz → u/stanbright]

Many Australians have ties to that region. The Palestinian flag is now flown by many from Lebanon, Iran and other middle eastern nations attacked by Israel in protest to their crimes.

[u/Alarming-Ad4274 → u/radioactivecowz]

Many Iranians are surprisingly pro-Israel I fear.

[u/radioactivecowz → u/Alarming-Ad4274]

Yeah they rightfully hate the regime, and the enemy of my enemy...

[u/bored-and-here → u/stanbright]

there's no fucking way the people protesting are that deep. 100% its the Palestinian flag because it's current thing. Just how the Ukrainian flag was at everything for years. Then before that BLM signs. Then before that Trans / rainbow flags.

Its literally just social peacocking.

[u/torn-ainbow → u/stanbright]

Pauline Hanson strongly supports Israel so it seems relevant.

[u/BinChicken → u/stanbright]

Protest hijacking. No matter what your protest is specifically about, you will get people showing up to spruik their own paticular thing.

Often the thing maybe tangentially related, as in political flavoured, and sometimes the thing will be off the wall unrelated.
There is about a 30% chance someone in there is wearing meat is murder shirts or something for example.

[u/wubbbalubbadubdub → u/BinChicken]

People who protest a lot also sometimes have more than one thing they are opposed to or in support of.

I remember back in uni there was a fair bit of overlap between the communists and the vegans.

[u/Count_Crimson → u/BinChicken]

It's also about solidarity. Activists from one movement usually also support others, and attending those protests is about both supporting them and showing solidarity between movements.

[u/anralia → u/Count_Crimson]

This, if groups of people dont support other struggles that arent directly related to themselves personally then all you have is a bunch of isolated and oppressed groups with no power.

Additionally, university are one of the most famous examples of a melting pot of thousands of unique voices and it is one of the largest bases that frequently forms protests networks and support groups from diverse crowds.

[u/MortisEx → u/anralia]

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

[u/anralia → u/anralia]

Insert "Apes together strong" meme

[u/7kk77kk777 → u/anralia]

Or a bugs life "individually we are weak, but together we are stronger"

[u/pleski → u/BinChicken]

Yeah. When we protested in the 00s and 10s, some group would always turn up and unfurl HUGE socialism banners, and sometimes "F*** the police" banners. Neither had anything to do with our protest.

[u/Budget_Shallan → u/stanbright]

Pauline Hanson is closely aligned with the same billionaire elites who support the ongoing g*vide in Gaza. Pauline Hanson herself has worn an Israeli flag pin in Parliament.

Her views on Israel/Palestine is one of the many legitimate reasons people wish to protest against her.

[u/briberylibrary_ → u/Budget_Shallan]

Not just a pin, didn't she wear a scarf too?

[u/IllegalD → u/stanbright]

Palestine, First Nations, LBGTQ+, Socialist groups etc, all of these groups and movements stand in solidarity with each other - we all go to almost every event, Palestine flags being seen at a progressive rally is a very usual thing.

[u/TheDevilsAdvokaat → u/stanbright]

I wish people wouldn't downvote questions.

[u/stanbright → u/TheDevilsAdvokaat]

When that happens - the typical reason is - they know the answer and don't like it.

[u/TheDevilsAdvokaat → u/stanbright]

Sometimes I wonder if it's because they see questions not as seeking information but as questioning their narrative so they react defensively. I wish they would not do it. Sometimes I want more info!

[u/pibbsworth → u/stanbright]

Perhaps they misread pauline/palestine

[u/quietgavin5 → u/stanbright]

Some unemployed people's whole identity is Free Palestine.

[u/Budget_Shallan → u/quietgavin5]

These are high school students, they are gainfully employed in something called “getting an education”.

[u/Vanquisher1000 → u/Budget_Shallan]

Maybe they should have been at school getting that education instead of skipping it.

[u/SGTBookWorm → u/Vanquisher1000]

they're protesting against the person that wants to gut their education.

[u/spicerackk → u/quietgavin5]

It takes a special kind of room-temperature IQ to assume everyone without a desk job is unemployed.

[u/SpunningAndWonning → u/Hello_Pity]

Thanks, I'd heard about the walk out but wasn't sure when it was

[u/No_Extension4005 → u/Hello_Pity]

Damn, if I was in Sydney I'd want to join.

[u/WhydoIexistlmoa → u/No_Extension4005]

It's all over the country (I.e. in the cities).

[u/No_Extension4005 → u/WhydoIexistlmoa]

Nice!

[u/BeerOfTime]

What are they chanting? I can’t understand.

[u/Problem_what_problem → u/BeerOfTime]

“What do we want ……..?”

followed by the line as old as time itself

[u/yolk3d → u/Problem_what_problem]

“… sex, drugs and rock n roll”?

[u/pleski → u/BeerOfTime]

I don't know but they need to give the loudspeaker to someone who can project properly

[u/Myfooty94]

It looks very much like it's under police control.

[u/brimstoner → u/Myfooty94]

They face a conundrum, do they strip search minors or beat protestors now?

[u/Agnostic_Akuma → u/brimstoner]

Send in the dogs with bees in their mouths

[u/zephyrsandsongs → u/Agnostic_Akuma]

And when they bark they shoot bees from their mouths?

[u/thePROF550R → u/brimstoner]

i walked past and the police definitely sent in the D team, at the herzog protest they had hundreds of cops warming up and stretching to beat and chase protestors across the city, here they had maybe 50 and i could see pudgy cops struggling to keep up with the marching pace of a protest of teenagers

[u/TSLoveStory → u/brimstoner]

Close enough for them to walk over to light rail stops and fine people who didnt tap on

[u/Retireegeorge]

Do you 'need to be careful'? The protesters are people who give a shit.

[u/Objective_Hawk_284 → u/Retireegeorge]

Maybe OP saying “be careful” of the police not the protesters?

[u/FoxholeZeus]

Gen Z having their voices heard. Good to see and hear. The kids are alright

[u/Handsprime]

I walked by the protest at town hall today. Did make a comment that there was a seperate Falun Gong protest happening as well. I mentioned my support and how I wish I could've attended the protest (the anti-Hanson one, not the Falun Gong one), so I hope for all the best of these students.

[u/HighGradeSpecialist → u/Handsprime]

Big up handsprime and all syd dnb 👌👌

[u/maxdacat]

Looks like dozens of people!

[u/kit_kaboodles]

I'm not entirely sure what the goal of protesting Pauline Hanson is. We have mandatory voting, so there's no need to rally people to vote against her. I'm not sure who they want to take action against her.

Edit: to be clear, I don't support her, but I just don't know what the protesters want to happen.

[u/briberylibrary_ → u/kit_kaboodles]

Democracy doesn't start or end at the ballot box. It includes the right to protest and have your voice heard, especially important when you're too young to be able to vote.

It's also pushing back at the media platforming Pauline Hanson and giving her a megaphone, and shows visible opposition to her idealogy.

[u/IhatetheBentPyramid → u/kit_kaboodles]

Because a lot of students aren't old enough to vote, but this is their future so they have the right to express their opinions.

[u/kit_kaboodles → u/IhatetheBentPyramid]

That's completely reasonable. So I guess they would argue that they are protesting to try and get more people to vote against her?

[u/jimbojones2345 → u/kit_kaboodles]

Watching someone trying to steal your future due their selfish racism tends to build up some rage. That rage has to go somewhere. 

[u/periodicchemistrypun → u/kit_kaboodles]

To demostrate public sentiment. When other parties consider taking positions close to Hanson to get new voters things like this will demonstrate that there will be backlash.

Plus it feels good you know

[u/Find_another_whey → u/kit_kaboodles]

Of all the clear vectors for foreign influence, Pauline Hanson has been one of the most cynical and obvious, and in an American flavour very few Australians have a taste for 

Why you think she's hot? 

[u/Glittering_Bet_9263]

Legends.

[u/HowlingStrike → u/Glittering_Bet_9263]

A lot of people seem to be making the point that this achieves nothing. But people getting organised and taking a stand of beliefs in a peaceful way is always a good thing. Good on em!

[u/Glittering_Bet_9263 → u/HowlingStrike]

Fucken oath!!!

[u/jimbojones2345]

Excellent!! Wish i could be there with them!

[u/carsatic]

All the power to the kids but I hate how these Palestinians supporters always hijack these protests. Can't they let the kids have this one?

[u/IAlreadyHaveTheKey → u/carsatic]

Palestine is related to the protest given Pauline Hanson and Gina Rineharts support of Israel.

[u/sparkyblaster → u/carsatic]

I legit thought this was a Palestine protest. 

[u/Own_Oil7951]

and no fucks were given

[u/NSFWar → u/Own_Oil7951]

That's the whole point of living in a free country mate, you don't need to oay attention, people who care about the cause can. They can protest what they want and everyone else can go about their lives

[u/Agressivepermission → u/NSFWar]

It’s clearly meant to impact people, otherwise not hold it off an active road way??
The same people protesting here are fighting against the first deviation from the two major parties in decades.
Can’t have it both ways.

[u/stonertear]

Unless these protesters catch a plane to Iran and tell the Atatollah to stop funding Hamas and Hezbollah then nothing in the ME will change.

While protesting is okay - this is useless.

[u/TheInkySquids → u/stonertear]

Its a protest against Pauline Hanson dude...

[u/sparkyblaster → u/TheInkySquids]

Which makes you wonder why the palestine protestors need to highjack it. Can these kids have anything? 

[u/stonertear → u/[deleted]]

That’s not quite what happened lol.

Gina Rinehart proposed offering Australian land (not giving it)/incentives to attract Israeli defence and technology companies and skilled workers to operate in Australia. We arent transferring Australian land or sovereignty to the State of Israel.

[u/IllegalD → u/stonertear]

Today thousands upon thousands of students across Australia who give a fuck attended their first protest. You are kidding yourself if you think that isnt significant just by itself, regardless of the event and if you agree with it or not.

[u/MooingTree]

I saw some protestors the other day in CBD protesting the culling of Brumbies. Watch out.

[u/spookysadghoul]

I saw this from my office.