Australia has a proud history of disruptive protest – although you might not realise it from the political reaction to protests over the last fortnight.  

In an article today I describe several defining moments of Australian political protest. At the time, many derided these protests but most Australians would endorse them today: campaigns for women’s rights, against apartheid, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty, and workers’ strikes to stop iron exports to Japan during World War 2.  

This week, NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns opposed a pro-Palestinian protest to march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  

Last week, the Australian Senate censured Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi for her silent protest, holding up a sign that read:  

GAZA IS STARVING  

WORDS WON’T FEED THEM  

SANCTION ISRAEL  

Politicians are often critical of peaceful protest. State parliaments have legislated to make it harder to protest lawfully, or hit people with large fines for protesting.  

It is easy to forget that most Australians say peaceful protest has a role to play in Australian democracy, and support introducing a federal right to protest.  

There have also been protests in Parliament. Senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle protested the Iraq War when he disrupted US President George W Bush’s speech to the Australian Parliament.  

Bush said “I love free speech” after he was interrupted. The speaker ordered the serjeant-at-arms to remove the Greens senators from the chamber, but Brown and Nettle refused to go and were not forcibly removed.