Thousands of people marched through Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, on Saturday in what organisers described as the largest pro-Palestinian demonstration since the war in Gaza began.
The Aotearoa for Palestine group, which organised the rally, said some 50,000 people attended the March for Humanity in central Auckland on Saturday morning, though police estimated the turnout at 20,000.
Spokesperson Arama Rata said the event marked “New Zealand’s largest march in support of Palestinians since conflict broke out in Gaza”, after Israel launched an offensive in retaliation for a Hamas-led cross-border attack in October 2023 that killed about 1,200 people.
Palestinian authorities report that more than 64,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, while humanitarian organisations warn that food shortages are causing widespread starvation.
Many demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and banners, with slogans such as “Don’t normalise genocide” and “Grow a spine stand with Palestine”, according to public broadcaster Radio New Zealand.
Organisers had initially planned to close a major Auckland bridge, inspired by a protest that shut down Sydney’s Harbour Bridge in August, but Rata said those plans were abandoned on Friday because of strong winds.
Police confirmed there were no arrests and that roads along the march route had since been reopened.
The organisers called on New Zealand’s centre-right coalition government to impose sanctions on Israel. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in August had described Israeli actions in Gaza, including the lack of humanitarian assistance, as “utterly appalling”. The government is also weighing whether to formally recognise a Palestinian state.
The New Zealand Jewish Council, representing about 10,000 Jews in the country, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday’s rally.
