Pro-Palestine protesters who climbed onto Parliament House avoid convictions

Three of the four protesters who scaled Parliament House to display pro-Palestine banners earlier this year avoided being convicted when they were sentenced.

On 4 July 2024, the four breached security and climbed onto the building’s glass roof to unveil the banners, Region has previously reported.

These read “Free Palestine from the river to the sea” and “No peace on stolen land – genocide since 1788”, while another accused the Federal Government of being complicit in “war crimes” in Palestine, Vietnam, Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The protesters also threw paper planes from the roof inscribed with messages calling for Australia to support global peace and to end “the enabling of war crimes”.

Police officers cordoned off the area and, within an hour, directed the protesters to come down. All were arrested and handed notices banning them from Parliament House for 24 months.

The four, three men aged 68, 30 and 28 and one 30-year-old woman, all pleaded guilty to their charges of trespass in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (4 September).

The 68-year-old said he had watched the news reports of the war in Palestine and Gaza and seen their facilities “all being destroyed”.

“I felt compelled by my conscience,” he said of why he joined the protest.

The prosecutor pointed out that the protesters were in an area that was inaccessible to the public and created a safety risk to themselves and public service staff.

He opposed any non-conviction order for the protesters’ charges.

Magistrate Jane Campbell said the three younger protesters all had no prior criminal history and were of good character. They had already faced punishment from the banning notices, she said.

She decided not to impose convictions on them and dismissed their charges.

However, Magistrate Campbell said the 68-year-old had already been sentenced over other trespass offences. He was convicted and given a 12-month good behaviour order.

The protest has already been condemned by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Speaker of the House Milton Dick and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

“These actions have done absolutely nothing to advance any cause,” Mr Albanese said at the time.

“Indeed, they have hurt the cause that those engaged in this reckless activity believe they are advancing.”

Mr Dutton issued a “please explain” to the parliament’s presiding officers.

“Serious questions need to be asked about how these people were permitted entry into the building and, in a couple of cases, as I understand it, who provided support to those people,” he said.

Earlier this week, the Australian National University claimed it had been left with $60,000-worth of damage to two of its lawns following the disbanding of a pro-Palestine encampment.