A group of protestors aiming to ‘dismantle’ the legacy of Anzac Day marched in Melbourne yesterday despite pleas from the RSL, veterans and politicians not to disrupt the day where Australians pay respect to those who served our country in its time of need.
The protest, spearheaded by a group called ‘Teachers and School Staff for Palestine,’ rallied at the State Library before marching down Bourke Street in Melbourne’s inner CBD.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare swiftly denounced the move, labelling it an attack on the Anzac legacy and disrespectful to those who have served the nation. Despite calls to halt the protests before Anzac Day, several similar rallies were organised by students at Melbourne universities.
In the lead up to Anzac Day, the Teachers and School Staff for Palestine group began distributing a 40-page document containing information that attempts to link the deaths of ANZAC soldiers in Gallipoli to the current-day fighting between Israel and Palestine.
This document was created to be used as a ‘teaching resource’ for other pro-Palestinian teachers across Australia.
Speaking to The Australian, Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson also condemned the group and said educators should not be ‘indoctrinating’ students.
“The attempts to link the sacrifice of our Anzacs to this sort of activism is not only misguided but deeply disrespectful to the men and women who served our country,” she said.
“Our classrooms should be places of objective learning, not indoctrination. It is not the role of educators to push political agendas or promote divisive ideologies.”
Rallies and acts of political activism have seen a sharp increase in recent years, with seemingly every national holiday or Australian tradition being marred by protests and labelled ‘divisive’ by Australians with progressive, left-leaning political beliefs.
RSL Victoria president Dr. Robert Webster voiced deep concern over the disruptions, emphasising that Anzac Day should be left undisturbed as a day of reflection and remembrance.
Similarly, Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Victoria president Bob Elworthy urged respect for the occasion’s significance, cautioning against actions that detract from its solemnity.
Opposition veterans’ affairs spokesman Barnaby Joyce emphasised the importance of respecting the sacrifices made by Australia’s servicemen and women.
Joyce also believes that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has contributed to negative attitudes towards Anzac Day by making the public holiday optional for public servants – which implies that the day to honour fallen soldiers is somehow alienating or divisive.
It seems as if we are giving up all the wonderful things we had as holidays including Christmas, Easter and sports plus non-Christian to keep others happy. Yet, we are supposed to bend and bow to their demands even though they have supposedly migrated to our country without assimilating as they can no longer survive living in the country of their birth for differing reasons. This includes our children & Grandchildren etc. being punished for being white and descended from many who came here without a choice yet worked hard and created the wonderful place we have called Australia.