Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday, braving heavy rain and winds, to call for an end to the war in Gaza.Assange, who returned to Australia last year following his release from British prison, was seen surrounded by family and walking alongside former Australian foreign minister and New South Wales premier Bob Carr. Assange however, did not address the crowd or speak to the media.New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani took to X to share a video of the Sydney protest, stating: “Over 300,000 people in rain marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge today in solidarity with Gaza. Israel has been exposed — and its crimes will never be forgotten.”New South Wales Police said hundreds of extra personnel had been deployed across Sydney to manage the large-scale demonstration, which drew participants chanting slogans such as “ceasefire now” and “free Palestine.”Australia’s Labor Party MP Ed Husic also attended the rally and urged his ruling party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to officially recognise a Palestinian state.While Australia has called for an end to the war in Gaza, it has yet to make a formal move towards recognising Palestine. However, in a joint statement with more than a dozen other nations on Tuesday, Australia expressed its “willingness or positive consideration… to recognise the state of Palestine as an essential step towards the two-State solution.”International pressure has been mounting over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In recent weeks, countries including France, Britain, and Canada have signalled their intention to diplomatically recognise a Palestinian state.
