A report on the event said speakers called for an end to what they described as an engineered mass starvation of Palestinians and demanded the New Zealand Government impose sanctions on Israel and pressure Egypt to open its borders to allow food aid to the war-torn strip.
Palestinian community member Rula Talahma made an emotional plea for Palestinians to see the same level of action that New Zealand had taken against Russia when it invaded Ukraine that involved economic sanctions including on individuals associated with the regime.
Dr Talahma said New Zealanders were tired of the government’s "virtue signalling" after 658 days of "irreversible damage’ in Gaza, especially in the context of images from the past week of starving children and hundreds of food trucks blockaded from entry through the borders.
"Stop with the lip-syncing filling us with void words and promises," she said.
"The time is running out. The suffering in Gaza is real and immense, deeply disturbing."
Green party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick addressed the march with a message of solidarity, she said hope lay in the hands of ordinary people who should be making demands of their MPs — otherwise there was no point to their jobs.
Five other MPs attended, including Ingrid Leary, Rachel Brooking and Damien O’Connor from Labour, with local Green MPs Francisco Hernandez and Scott Willis as well as Dunedin city councillors Christine Garey and Marie Laufiso.
The UN agency for Palestinians said it had thousands of truckloads of supplies near Gaza waiting to deliver aid. Save the Children UK reported more than 10 children per day have lost one or both of their legs in the past 16 months.
March organisers welcomed new faces and said it was never too late to try to end what they described as a genocide. — Allied Media
