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Honouring Palestine - 7 October Vigil

  • MP Pavillion Saint Kilda Road Melbourne, VIC, 3004 Australia (map)

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PUBLIC STATEMENT

On 7 October 2025, the Palestinian community of Victoria will hold a peaceful vigil to honour our loved ones killed by Israel, and to stand in truth against silence and erasure.

For generations, Palestinians have endured dispossession, occupation, persecution, and blockade. Our grief has been silenced, our resistance criminalised, our humanity denied. On 7 October 2023, as the world looked only to Israel, Gaza was bombarded. Civilians, including children, were killed in their sleep.

Amnesty International documented thousands of strikes in those first days, killing nearly 4,000 people, more than 1,500 of them children, and permanently erasing entire family bloodlines from the civil registry.

The UN’s Commission of Inquiry and other international bodies have affirmed what we have always said: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Our suffering defies measure. To deny this truth is to deny our humanity, our voice, our right to resist, and our grief

When our community held a vigil last year, the Prime Minister called it ‘provocative.’ State leaders labelled it ‘hurtful and inappropriate,’ offering no words of compassion to the Palestinian community. Commentators described it as ‘sickening and cruel,’ while religious representatives ignored our call to mourn our martyrs (Palestinians killed under oppression and violence). Even when we kept an overnight wake, no comfort came from leaders who preach unity and compassion, yet chose silence when the dead were Palestinians and Muslims.

For Palestinians in so-called Australia already carrying grief and trauma, this silence forced upon us cut deeply. It showed how little our lives are valued, even on these shores. The harm is compounded now, as the Prime Minister, once well aware of the suffering faced by Palestinians, stood on the world stage and claimed we teach our children to hate. We reject this dehumanisation. What we pass to our children is love: for life, for justice, for freedom.

Our rights are not conditional.

Our humanity is not negotiable.

We mourn in public because our voices have been suppressed, and we stand in dignity and defiance.

We invite people of heart and conscience to join us in marking the second anniversary of Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.

Stand with us to honour Palestinian grief and affirm our shared humanity.

Every life is precious. Every person has the right to live in freedom, safety, and dignity on their land — including Palestinians.

Guidelines

We ask all present to respect the grieving families and the silence of the procession.

Please do not bring or display signage, posters, or flags during the procession or vigil.

There will be designated Palestinian spokespersons present at the event. Please refrain from speaking to the media, which too often misrepresents our community.

Kindly follow the directions of volunteers and marshals, who are there to support you and the Palestinian community.