ORGANISERS of the ‘Peninsula Peace Walk for Palestine’ in Mornington last Sunday week (7 July) say the event turnout showed strong support for an end to the war in Gaza.
One of the main organisers, Stefan Raabe, said the idea of the walk was to create access for people on the Mornington Peninsula who want to be involved in peaceful protest against the genocide and “apartheid”.
“We planned the walk to coincide with the action that takes place each Sunday outside the State Library. Not everyone can travel into the city every weekend,” he said. More than 30 people joined the walk in Main Street, Mornington.
Peninsula resident Sarah Russell, who is the chair of Progressives of the Peninsula, said organisers knew there would be support. “However, we were surprised by the large number of people who turned out.” Resident, women’s right campaigner and peace walker Marg D’Arcy said organisers brought the walk together in less than three weeks after “a one-hour meeting with Stefan, Sarah and myself and six people in a WhatsApp chat group,” she said. “We all got behind an issue that we cared about and made the walk happen.” The walkers say they oppose the war in Gaza and “the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, the mass killing of women and children, journalists, healthcare and aid workers”.
Rosebud resident and member of the Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group, Julie Pittle, decided to attend the walk to support human rights. “Breaches of human rights and war crimes are occurring not only in Gaza but all around the world. The situation in Gaza is a particularly egregious situation.” “The rights of people all around the world are intertwined. A breach in Gaza undermines our human rights here.” Raabe said a longer walk to match the 40-kilometre distance from the north and south of Gaza may be planned for later in the year.
First published in the Mornington News – 16 July 2024
