A video showing young children calling for an intifada while participating in a pro-Palestinian protest at Sydney University spread across social media on Sunday.
In the video, the children are heard chanting in Arabic, calling Israel “haram” (forbidden in Arabic,) and a small girl is heard chanting, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
On Thursday, the organization Families for Palestine posted a banner and placard-making post, inviting others to join them in protesting Israel. In their post, the organization mentions that ”kids are welcome too!”ילדים בהפגנה במאהל מחאה באוניברסיטת סידני שבאוסטרליה קראו ל"אינתיפאדה עממית" נגד ישראל@RamEliBrandts pic.twitter.com/fpOuu04La0
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 28, 2024
Controversial kids' pro-Palestine outing
According to a Sunday Sydney Morning Herald report, the kids were at Sydney University on Friday as part of a “so-called ‘kids' excursion to a pro-Palestine encampment.” The event was organized by the Families for Palestine, with the assistance of the Women’s Collective (WoCo), according to a Friday Instagram post from the organization.
In addition to voicing antisemitic rhetoric, the children were heard chanting, “5,6,7,8, Israel is a terrorist state.” Furthermore, in the video, the children can be heard saying, “Albanese, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.”
Alongside chanting antisemitic and anti-zionist phrases, the children also had an arts and crafts area where they painted the “Palestinian flag on pieces of paper and on their hands and cheeks,” Sydney Morning Herald added.
In another Instagram post the organization Families for Palestine published, they express solidarity with “the courageous students of Sydney University as they launch their encampment.”
Furthermore, the organization called “for the divestment from apartheid Israel” and urged universities worldwide to “sever ties with arms manufacturers and corporations that are complicit and profiting from genocide.”