2026-05-26
Seventy five activists attended Parliament House today and assumed the stress position - on their knees with their hands behind their backs - to demonstrate just a fraction of the mistreatment inflicted by Israel against the peaceful humanitarians aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. Three of the Australians who were aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla - Zack Schofield, Ethan Floyd, and Surya McEwen - participated in the action today.
Hundreds of humanitarians, including 11 Australians, were kidnapped and imprisoned by Israel in international waters while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza. During their imprisonment, many of the Flotilla participants were abused and tortured. Today, ordinary people brought some of the truth of Israel’s brutality towards the Global Sumud Flotilla Activists into the heart of Australian politics.
Lines attributable to Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Greens and spokesperson for International Aid & Global Justice:
“Today, ordinary people brought to the Australian Parliament just some of the truth of the brutality Israel inflicted on Global Sumud Flotilla participants while they were illegally imprisoned in Israel.
“Following their action today, these silent, peaceful protesters were thrown out of Parliament with a 12 month ban. It says everything that these protesters have been given 12-month bans from Parliament for disrupting ‘decorum’, while the Labor government has taken no real action to end the genocide or hold Israel to account for the abhorrent mistreatment of Australian citizens on a peaceful mission to deliver aid to Gaza.
“People must be able to protest peacefully in the people’s house without being thrown out or punished.
“The Prime Minister must confront the truth of Israel’s depravity, meet the flotilla activists, listen to their ordeal, and then take action by holding Israel accountable.”