Tens of thousands marching in pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne

Protesters have gathered at Victoria's State Library for a march through Melbourne's CBD.

Transcript

00:00I'm here outside the State Library of Victoria where behind me a crowd of thousands of people

00:07is now beginning to march down Swanston Street and through the heart of Melbourne's CBD.

00:12For nearly two hours they've gathered here on the lawn outside the library as a number of speakers

00:17have addressed the human cost of the Israel-Gaza war on Palestinian civilians

00:22and reiterated their passionate calls for the Australian government

00:25to introduce sanctions against Israel for its conduct in the war.

00:28We are here with no intention to cause havoc.

00:32What we are here to do is to disrupt and engage and cause the community,

00:37wider community to understand why we are here.

00:40We are here calling on the government to sanction Israel.

00:43From here this group is expected to head all the way down to Flinders Street

00:46and then head up Flinders Street and to the Kingsway Bridge.

00:50Police have said they'll be there to try and make sure that this protest

00:53doesn't pose an unreasonable risk to public health and safety.

00:57Protest organisers here have told those gathered to make sure they follow the advice of marshals

01:01to try and ensure that this event, which has drawn in plenty of families,

01:04remains a safe one for everyone involved.

01:06No one's been able to do at the moment.

01:07No one's been able to do this for jeste-t interact for the rest of the university.

01:11I just wanted to make sure they were able to make sure that this event

01:12is very challenging and that's a bit what we are going to do.