Protesters are calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
About 1000 people on Parliament's front lawn are calling on the government to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Laila Farah told the crowd she had spent the first 12 years in Gaza, before her family was forced to leave. She said it was like Wellington, full of love and life, but the home she once knew no longer existed.
Her cousin died while shielding his sons from the rubble raining down on them, while her great-aunt was killed less than a month ago by a sniper.
"She was an 84-year-old woman whose last wish was to see her house one more time. She was older than the state of Israel, and witnessed the first Nakba in 1948," Farah said, referring to the mass displacement of thousands of Palestinians who were expelled after the creation of Israel.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson with someone speaking at the rally. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Whanganui woman Sophie spent parts of her childhood in the West Bank. She compared the situation in Gaza to apartheid in South Africa, saying that was not ended by the government, but by everyday people uniting.
"It was targeted boycotting, sanctions and saying 'enough' that caused the system to collapse and human rights to prevail," she said.
"We demand an end to the illegal occupation, an end to the illegal siege, and justice for all war crimes committed."
Multiple groups are behind today's demonstration, including Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa and Justice for Palestine.
They say more than 10,000 children and infants have been killed since the start of the attack on the Gaza Strip on 7 October - the equivalent of 36 average sized New Zealand primary schools.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Mohamed Bechara had attended a number of similar protests and said they seemed to be gaining momentum.
"You can feel it ... the more people know about this, the more you see it on social media, the more people boycott companies that are supporting the Israeli army."
A ceasefire was urgently needed, he said, as it was now winter in Gaza.
"It gets cold, like Wellington cold, so it's the worst time for this," Bechara said.
"Everyone's going on vacation here while people are there not having any place to sleep, get medications or just have a normal life."
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Above the throng flew two white kites held by protesters Michaela Keeble and Kate Turner, who said they had become a symbol of resistance in Gaza, where Palestinians were known for their kite-making skills.
Written in black ink were the words, 'If I must die, you must tell my story' - a quote from Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian scholar and poet who was killed in an Israeli air strike, Keeble said.
"The idea that the Israeli state is actively targeting journalists, academics, scholars, doctors is so abhorrent that Kate and I wanted to add our voice to Refaat's voice."
Labour politicians at the protest at Parliament. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Members of the Palestinian community, tāngata whenua and Pākehā supporters, and Te Pāti Māori and Green Party MPs spoke at the protest.
Labour's associate foreign affairs spokespeople Damien O'Connor and Phil Twyford also spoke at the event, saying the government needed to do more to help those in Gaza.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
More than 1000 protesters sung waiata to close the demonstration.
Samira Zaitoun from one of the groups behind the protest, Justice for Palestine, told the crowd songs could express emotions that could not be put into words.
The singing was followed by further chants of "Free, free Palestine".
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Green Party and Te Pāti Māori MPs at the protest. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
