Vanessa Cavasinni

Politics rarely leads. The most important social and political change has, and by design must, always come from the people. Unfortunately, it takes too long, as politics resists, media condemns. As history shows, everyone has something to protect, a reason not to be brave. Sometimes, it happens faster, because something triggers the masses. A threshold is reached. People can’t stand anymore. They take to the streets, risk themselves, choose what is right over what is safe, the zeitgeist shifts, and politics responds. There were extensive anti-apartheid protests in Australia over 40 years, for example, spanning from the late 1940’s through the 1980’s. The 1971 South African Springbok rugby union tour of Australia sparked widespread protests across the country. Activists disrupted matches, blocked team movements and led marches, resulting in arrests, a state of emergency in Queensland, and the cancellation of a planned cricket tour. Eventually, Australia applied sanctions and in some ways, led. Today, we are immensely proud of the role we played. The patterns are not new. They just repeat. Those Australians carried a fierce love, the kind that doesn’t back down, the kind humanity most needs. Standing against genocide, apartheid, illegal occupation, the deliberate starvation of children and for all innocent people is never wrong. Doesn’t matter where it is. It is confronting, yes, irrespective of the media framing or power dynamics of today, Australia will take immense pride that 300,000+ people chose to confront mass injustice, protect innocent children, support international law, commit to shared humanity and demand a just peace. Unfortunately, it’s not enough. It’ll take many more. The children of Gaza will need you, too.