Pro-Palestinian Protestor Displays Fake Corpse in Sydney

People march with flags and placards during a rally in support of the Palestinian people in Sydney on November 19, 2023. Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack triggering a war declared by Israel on Hamas with retaliatory bombings on Gaza. (Photo by Saeed Khan / AFP) Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

A pro-Palestinian protester was seen at a Sydney rally on the weekend holding up a fake corpse with blood on it.

The man was seen carrying bed linen with fake blood on it, shaped into the size of a deceased child.

He was one of thousands of people who again showed up at pro-Palestinian rallies in Sydney and Melbourne on Nov. 19.

Protesters gathered in Hyde Park, Sydney where they were seen and heard chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free,” “Palestine will never die,” and “ceasefire now.”

In Dover Heights Sydney, Israel supporters gathered at a park where kites were flown into the air. This was part of the “Bring Them Home” call from the Jewish community, asking for hostages to be released.

In Melbourne, an estimated 15,000 protestors gathered at the State Library and marched towards Treasury Gardens.

New South Wales (NSW) Police deployed officers and specialist police all over Sydney to manage crowds and public safety as part of Operation Shelter on the weekend.

“A high-visibility police operation has concluded following a public assembly in Sydney’s Central Business District,” NSW Police said.

“General Duties officers were assisted by specialist police from the Police Transport Command, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, Public Order and Riot Squad, State Crime, Operations Support Group, Mounted Unit, Dog Unit and PolAir. There were no arrests made during the assembly.”

Australian cities Sydney and Melbourne have seen multiple protests in recent weeks. This follows Hamas attacking Israel on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people and holding 239 hostages, leading to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring “we are at war.”

On Nov. 11, pro-Palestinian activists entered the water in Port Botany in an attempt to stop an Israeli shipping line, ZIM, from entering the port of Sydney. The protesters were seen carrying signs “block the boats.”

The protest went ahead in spite of the NSW Premier Chris Minns warning, “living in a free country doesn’t mean that you can walk down to the port and stop lawful trade between Australia and its trading partners around the world.”

The major protests in Sydney are costing about $1 million  (US$653,000) to the New South Wales taxpayer, Premier Chris Minns recently revealed.

Palestine Action Group in Sydney are planning multiple events this week, including a protest at the electorate office of Mr. Minns on Nov. 20.

People march with flags and placards during a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney on Nov. 19, 2023.  Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

A school strike for Palestine, which has drawn criticism from both major parties in Australia, is also planned for Friday in Melbourne and Sydney.

News of the school strike planned for Melbourne prompted Coalition Senator Simon Birmingham to say he was “deeply troubled by the idea” in an interview last week.

“Schoolchildren really shouldn’t be dragged into sensitive activities and areas of, I think, great complexity in terms of how this conflict, its history, its origins, and ultimately, of course, the fact that some will seek to use them as voices,” Senator Birmingham said.

Israeli flags surround a placard as members of the Australian Jewish community hold a kite flying event for Israeli hostages who are currently being held by the Palestinian group Hamas, at a park in Sydney on Nov. 19, 2023. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Deal Or No Deal?

Meanwhile the White House has responded to claims an agreement on the release of hostages could be on the cards soon between Israel and Hamas.

An article in the Washington Post on the weekend claimed that 50 or more Israeli hostages could be released in return for a five day temporary pause in fighting.

In addition, the Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said, “The challenges facing the agreement are just practical and logistical” during a press conference in Doha.

However, Mr. Netanyahu said on Saturday “as of now, there has been no deal.”

Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told CBS News that the Biden administration was “closer than we have been to reaching a final agreement.”

“We share the assessment that many areas of differences that previously existed have been narrowed, that we believe we are closer than we have been to reaching a final agreement, but on an issue as sensitive as this and as challenging as this, the mantra that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed really does apply,” he said.

“And we do not yet have an agreement in place, so until that is the case, we are not going to lay out all the details in public.”

Discussing the possibility of an agreement, Australian Coalition Senator James Paterson said “that’s very welcome” in an interview on Nov. 20.

“We think there’s at least 239 hostages were taken, but Ben it’s now over a month since they were first kidnapped, and we don’t even know how many are left alive,” Mr. Paterson said.

“So, if there are any left alive, then it would be very welcome if they were released and if a humanitarian pause can be given in exchange for that so that more aid can get into the Gaza Strip and free the innocent people there, well then that will be welcomed.”