In the largest protest for Palestine in New Zealand’s history, tens of thousands of people marched through central Auckland on Saturday, September 13, calling on the New Zealand government to impose immediate diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel to halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Aotearoa for Palestine, the Palestinian- and Māori-led group that organized the demonstration, estimates that 50,000 people took part in The March for Humanity. The turnout was so vast that as the front of the procession reached its final rallying point at Victoria Park, people were still filing onto Queen Street from the starting point at Aotea Square, a distance of 2.1 kilometers.
The march was endorsed by over 150 organizations including labor unions, human rights and environmental projection NGOs, Māori leaders, and community organisations across New Zealand.
The event was inspired by a similar large-scale march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Initially, organizers had planned a 5km route across the Auckland Harbour Bridge. However, the plan was changed on Friday due to forecasts of severe winds, which organizers said posed a serious safety risk. The concerns were validated on the day, as high winds forced the temporary closure of the bridge to all traffic.
Following an array of community, rally speakers included politicians from the Māori Party and the Green Party, as well as Labour’s Phil Twyford. Twyford’s speech was met with dissent from a small section of the crowd, who booed and heckled him, demanding to know if his party’s commitment to recognize a Palestinian state would come with conditions.
The New Zealand government was among 15 nations to signal its intention to recognize Palestinian statehood in a document that set a path towards recognition, contingent upon the disarmament of Palestinian resistance groups, and the establishment of a demilitarized state overseen by the Palestinian Authority. Critics argue this framework allows Israel to continue its actions in Gaza with impunity without advancing Palestinian self-determination.
A spokesperson for Aotearoa for Palestine, Nadine Mortaja, stated that the group’s next steps will be determined by the government’s actions at the upcoming UN General Assembly.
“If the government fails to uphold its duty to prevent and punish Israel’s genocide on Gaza,” Mortaja said, “we are still committed to marching over the Auckland Harbour Bridge.”
Dr. Arama Rata is a Māori independent researcher and organizer with Aotearoa for Palestine.
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