Hundreds of people have gathered by the steps of the State Library Victoria in Melbourne for a pro-Palestine rally.
A group of students has been seen waving Palestinian flags, calling for “freedom and justice for Palestine”, before marching through the streets chanting slogans such as “free, free Palestine” and “free, free Gaza”.
Police are patrolling the area surrounding the library as the crowd continues to grow.
Free Palestine Melbourne organiser Bella Beiraghi said the “peaceful” rally would act in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“I am concerned and I am out here to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and we will have a peaceful march,” she said.
“Palestinians deserve to be free and they deserve to resist their occupiers.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan earlier said she would be meeting with police to discuss plans for the rally.
“The police minister spoke to some of these matters at cabinet as well. I think it’s fair to say VicPol are monitoring the domestic situation closely, as you would expect,” Allan told reporters today.
“I will be having further conversations with the police chief commissioner later today.
“I think we all understand that in our democratic society there is that right to come together. But also, too, right now is a time to be coming together to show support, to show support for the Israeli community. What we saw are horrific attacks. We’ve condemned them strongly.”
It comes as some Jewish parents have told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell that they had decided to keep their children home from kindergarten due to fears they could be targeted.
Melbourne mother Elise said there has been an increased security and police presence around her child’s school.
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She said her husband removed her four-year-old son’s kippah on the way to school this morning after seeing the “terrifying” scenes from the protests last night.
Elise said parents had been sending messages to one another over the past two days, checking if they were sending their children to school.
”It’s scary,” she said.
At least 600 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 300 have been killed in Gaza.
“Most Jews, besides feeling horrible about what’s happening and helpless for all our family in Israel are really scared at the moment,” Elise told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
Elise said she no longer felt safe after seeing footage from Sydney, where 900 pro-Palestine marchers attended a rally last night.
“Keeping Jews away from the Opera House and instead allowing hate speech to occur makes us really scared,” she said.
“It’s sad that this is our Australia.”
