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Arab Barghouthi on his father Marwan’s Unwavering Commitment to Palestinian Freedom

The son of imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti spoke to David Marr on ABC’s Late Night Live Tuesday about the upcoming Palestinian elections, and how his father’s release could finally see an end to Israel’s apartheid regime in his homeland.

During the interview, Arab Barghouthi urged the international community, including Australia, to ensure Israel does not sabotage the November elections like it did in 2021 when it prevented people in Jerusalem from voting.

He said the Australian government’s recognition of Palestine was a “step in the right direction” but it must actively support a Palestinian state via democratic free elections, as well as “the leaders that can be partners for peace – which my father is the biggest name there.” 

Marwan Barghouti has been illegally imprisoned by Israel for almost a quarter of a century. For uniting the political factions and commanding broad support among the population, he is anticipated to become Palestine’s next President. He is known internationally as the Palestinian Nelson Mandela.

Arab Barghouthi

“He has a very clear political vision and that’s why he’s been consistently the most popular leader for more than 20 years,” Barghouthi said. “Ben Gvir went on video and taunted my father inside an Israeli cell because he understands what my father represents to the Palestinian people.”

Barghouti’s family is spearheading the international Free Marwan campaign, backed by The Elders, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and hundreds of high-profile cultural figures.

“It’s expanding as a campaign, something similar to the Free Mandela campaign in the 80s,” Barghouthi said.

“Hopefully this campaign will be one of the contributors of ending the apartheid regime on our land.”

Listen to Arab Barghouthi’s full interview on ABC Late Night Live.


Our “Freedom for Marwan Barghouti Now” campaign was launched in February to bring awareness to his illegal detention and violation of his human rights. We are urging the Australian government to demand his immediate and unconditional release, and the release of all Palestinian political prisoners.

You can take immediate action by helping us reach our goal of 1000 emails to MPs and Senators calling for Marwan’s freedom via our campaign page.


“Free Marwan, Free Palestine!” FPM Meet Abby Martin in Naarm

“Free Marwan, Free Palestine!” FPM Meet Abby Martin in Naarm

During an Australian tour in support of her new feature documentary Earth’s Greatest Enemy, American investigative journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin met with members of Free Palestine Melbourne at an IPAN event in the city.

A vocal critic of Israel’s genocide, Martin has appeared as a guest on several high-profile programs. Her considerable body of work on Palestine includes the 2019 documentary Gaza Fights for Freedom that focuses on Israel’s human rights violations against Palestinians during the Great March of Return demonstrations.

The documentary evocatively substantiated claims Israel’s plan has always been the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland, and emphasised Israel’s crimes of collective punishment in its deliberate killing of children, journalists and medical workers. Today, we continue to witness Israel commit these unimaginable crimes on a catastrophic scale, as the genocide in Gaza rages into its fourth year.

During the meeting Martin lent her support to Free Palestine Melbourne’s Freedom for Marwan Barghouti Now campaign, part of the international Free Marwan initiative, calling for his release along with the thousands of Palestinian hostages held illegally in Israeli prisons.

Free Palestine Melbourne thanked Martin for her fearless reporting and commentary in support of the Palestinian people, and we wish her the very best in her future endeavours. 

Free Marwan! Free Palestine!

Statement on Brutal Escalation of Settler Violence in Occupied West Bank

Statement on Brutal Escalation of Settler Violence in Occupied West Bank

25 July 2026: Free Palestine Melbourne strongly condemns the brutal escalation of settler violence in the occupied West Bank, particularly the attacks on the Palestinian village of Tell near Nablus, as well as the assault on Nablus Hospital. These attacks are part of an ongoing pattern of violence carried out by extremist Israeli settlers under the protection of the Israeli military, leaving Palestinian communities living under constant fear and threat.

“Trusted Sources”: How The Conversation Laundered Gaza Self-Defence Claims into “What the Law Says” – a case study with Freedom of Information evidence

“Trusted Sources”: How The Conversation Laundered Gaza Self-Defence Claims into “What the Law Says” – a case study with Freedom of Information evidence

EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: It began in June 2025 as a once-faithful reader’s complaint to The Conversation — a “research-based” outlet with 47 million readers — about an article on Israel’s claimed right of self-defence in Gaza, by a Commonwealth-funded Professor of International Law. On publication day, they dismissed my complaint; the next morning, they quietly scrubbed “Here’s what the law says” from the title. As attempts at redress failed, FOI requests to the Australian National University yielded the author’s original submissions for two articles. The comparison revealed a pattern of editors abusing academic authority to provide legal cover for international crimes.

The Return, a play by Ala’a Al Qaisi (15–22 Sep, Melbourne & regional Vic)

The Return, a play by Ala’a Al Qaisi (15–22 Sep, Melbourne & regional Vic)

As war tears through Gaza, a father waits beneath the clouds for his daughters to come home.

The Return Project and Free Palestine Melbourne are proud to present The Return, a play by award winning Palestinian Australian writer and director, Ala’a Al Qaisi. 

A powerful theatrical event not to be missed.

Part dream, part revelation, The Return is a haunting and visually stunning theatrical experience that transports audiences beyond the limits of time and space. Through magical realism, poetry, music, and powerful storytelling, the play invites us into a world where the dead speak, the living awaken, and even the deepest wounds become a doorway to transformation.

The Return is inspired by martyred Palestinian sisters, Nagham and Rozan Abu Samra, who were killed by an Israeli strike on Gaza in 2024. Nagham was a karate champion who would have represented Palestine at the Olympic Games. The play is dedicated to their father Marwan who lives on to share their legacy, and to all the beautiful souls whose lights were extinguished far too soon in the Gaza genocide. 

Both intimate and epic, heartbreaking and unexpectedly humorous, The Return is more than a play, it is an unforgettable journey into the heart of grief, resilience, forgiveness, and hope.

This is a story that will stay with you long after the curtain falls.

Cast: Rashid Taki as Marwan, Ala’a Al Qaisi as Rozan, Mohammed El Kesm as Aviv and The Man, Ahlam Hijazi as Sarah.

The Return will play in theatres across Melbourne and regional Victoria from 15–22 September, including Brunswick, Keysborough, Ballarat and Castlemaine. It is the first time the play will be performed in the state following a successful Sydney run in 2025.

The Return Victoria 2026 Dates:

  • September 15, 16, 17 and 20: Brunswick Mechanics Institute
  • September 18: Ballarat Performing Arts Centre
  • September 19: Chandler Community Centre, Keysborough
  • September 22: The Phee Broadway Theatre, Castlemaine

Purchase Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/the-return-play-melbourne/tickets

This performance explores themes of war, grief, and psychological trauma. It includes descriptions of violence and loss. Recommended for audiences aged 15 and above.

Free Palestine Melbourne’s Submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

Free Palestine Melbourne’s Submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

Free Palestine protests are not antisemitic; they are a democratic response to mass killing and Australia’s complicity in it. Yet the Royal Commission heard witnesses brand them as hate on evidence untested by cross-examination and uncorroborated by the vast public record of 2.5 years of rallies, while descriptions of “gangs of young Muslim men” passed without challenge. Free Palestine Melbourne’s submission exposes the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism for what it is: not a defence of social cohesion, but a means to silence criticism of a genocide. To brand a people’s demand for equality as hate is itself anti-Palestinian racism.

Internationally renowned actor and activist Khalid Abdalla voices support for Free Marwan Barghouti campaign at Naksa Day Rally

British Egyptian actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner, The Crown, The Square) spoke at the Free Palestine Naksa Day Rally in Naarm on Sunday June 7 where he mentioned his connection to the Free Marwan Barghouti campaign and paid tribute to the Free Palestine Melbourne movement.

Whose ABC? How Australia’s Public Broadcaster Failed Its Legal Obligations During Genocide

Whose ABC? How Australia’s Public Broadcaster Failed Its Legal Obligations During Genocide

State-funded broadcasters carry special obligations under international law that commercial outlets don’t. When the World Court put states on notice of a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, Australia’s public broadcaster should have reported it plainly. Instead, for over two years, it referred the word “genocide” upward; it humanised Israelis 1.58 times more than Palestinians; and it unlawfully sacked Antoinette Lattouf for sharing evidence of Israel’s crimes, then chose to spend over $2.6M in taxpayer money defending its surrender to the Israel lobby. Under cover of “impartiality”, this is how “our ABC” primed Australians to consent to complicity in genocide.

Counterweight: How Australian Media Crushed Public Pressure to Prevent Genocide

Counterweight: How Australian Media Crushed Public Pressure to Prevent Genocide

For over two years, Australian media counterweighted the largest sustained protest movement in Australia’s history, dissipating public pressure to prevent Israel’s genocide. This cornerstone submission traces a lobby–media–state nexus through lobby-funded travel cultivating compliant editors; co-ordinated complaints, smears, sackings and litigation enforcing silence; and the exploitation of Bondi grief to recast solidarity as bigotry and manufacture a mandate to criminalise it. The Royal Commission now interrogating public discourse has itself adopted the lobby’s definition of antisemitism. Australian media didn’t just fail the public’s right to know; it primed consent for complicity in genocide, and for punishing those who oppose it.

Anti-Palestine Bias in The Australian: Dehumanisation and Erasure as Editorial Policy

Anti-Palestine Bias in The Australian: Dehumanisation and Erasure as Editorial Policy

The Australian epitomises editorial complicity: it published a denial of deliberate starvation two weeks after leaked Israeli cabinet transcripts confirmed it was chosen as a strategy of war; it printed over 100 pro-Israel letters and none critical, as 300,000 Australians marched for humanity; and while it referenced Randa Abdel-Fattah in 412 articles, our research found 148 referencing Louise Adler, including 23 dedicated attack pieces, 17 alone in the fortnight of her Adelaide Writers’ Week resignation. John Lyons, its former Jerusalem correspondent, says only three people can tell its editors what to run: Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, and AIJAC’s Colin Rubenstein.

How Australian Newspapers Restricted Reporting on Israel’s Crimes in Gaza, and the Hind Rajab Blackout Case Study

How Australian Newspapers Restricted Reporting on Israel’s Crimes in Gaza, and the Hind Rajab Blackout Case Study

In November 2023, more than 270 Australian journalists signed an open letter calling for fairer Gaza coverage. Consequently, senior editors at Nine’s mastheads, all of whom had taken lobby-funded trips to Israel, banned signatories from covering the conflict. Two months later, an Israeli tank fired on an ambulance the army had cleared to reach six-year-old Hind Rajab, killing her and the paramedics. It made headlines worldwide — but across 2024, News Corp and Nine published no original reporting on it. This editorial blackout of verified atrocity crimes is a distinct mechanism of impunity, erasing the victims and enabling the perpetrators.

Media Release: A Failure of Responsible Journalism

Media Release: A Failure of Responsible Journalism

25 May 2026: Free Palestine Melbourne condemns the Herald Sun’s front-page headline characterising Marwan Barghouti solely as a “convicted Palestinian terrorist.” This framing, employed by journalists Alex White and Carly Douglas, reflects a troubling pattern of one-sided reporting on Palestinian affairs…

Webinar: ‘Breaking the Chain: Freedom for Palestinian Political Prisoners’ (15 April)

Wed 15 April 6:30pm: Abduction, imprisonment & torture are crucial tools of Israel’s genocide & occupation in Palestine. Hear the truth from behind the bars – and demand freedom for Palestinian political prisoners.

Media Release: Free Palestine Melbourne launches campaign demanding release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison

Media Release: Free Palestine Melbourne launches campaign demanding release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison

Free Palestine Melbourne has launched a campaign demanding Australia push for the immediate release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, imprisoned by Israel since 2002. Amid escalating threats to his life, the campaign joins a global call backed by hundreds of prominent figures worldwide.

Media Release: Join the march against genocide and Albanese’s invitation to Israeli President to visit Australia

Media Release: Join the march against genocide and Albanese’s invitation to Israeli President to visit Australia

29 December 2025: The Free Palestine movement will rally outside of the State Library of Victoria on Sunday, 11 January 2026 at 12pm to oppose Israeli violations and protest the visit of Israeli President, Isaac Herzog to Australia.

Resolution: Victorian Labour Movement Stands in Solidarity with Palestine

Resolution: Victorian Labour Movement Stands in Solidarity with Palestine

Free Palestine Melbourne’s recent forum, How the labour movement can stand with Palestine, held on 14 August 2025, was attended by over 170 unionists and supporters, and another 1000 watching online.

The meeting voted unanimously to support the union contingent at the upcoming nationwide March For Palestine on 24 August and to call for sanctions on Israel.

Below is the text of the resolution passed by the meeting.

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Resolution: Victorian Labour Movement Stands in Solidarity with Palestine
14 August 2025

This meeting of Victorian trade unionists stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine as they face the ongoing crimes of military occupation, siege and genocide.

Israel’s war against Gaza must end now. It a murderous assault on the lives of Palestinian and an assault on the values and wellbeing of all humanity.

We oppose Israeli apartheid and Israel’s colonial-settler occupation.

As trade unionists we know that an injury to one is an injury to all and our movement has a long history of opposing apartheid. Our movement for justice for Palestine is driven by human compassion, ethics and the necessity for working class solidarity.

The Australian Government has called for an immediate, permanent ceasefire and the free passage of aid and essential supplies to Gaza. However, it has so far failed to back these calls with actions that would apply real pressure on Israel to cease its war crimes.

We endorse the demands on the Australian Government made by the Australian Council of Trade Unions in May 2025 which include:

  • Using all pressure, influence and diplomatic measures, including targeted sanctions
  • Supporting the deployment of a humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza
  • Ending all military trade (including parts and components) with Israel
  • Supporting international efforts to prosecute breaches of international law
  • Establishing emergency humanitarian visa pathways

We note that similar demands were overwhelmingly supported by the 600 branch and union delegates at the recent Victorian State ALP Conference. This meeting applauds the network of dockworker unionists across Europe and the Mediterranean who have successfully imposed bans and strikes against the arms trade with Israel.

We offer our solidarity to all unionists in Victoria working toward imposing industrial bans on the production or trade in goods that aid or assist Israel in the commission of unlawful acts.

This meeting wholeheartedly supports an active campaign by the Victorian trade union movement to inform and mobilise working people to achieve the ACTU demands for action by the Australian Government. To that end, we call on:

  • All unionists to support the call by Victorian Trades Hall Council for unions and workers to mobilise in numbers and march as a contingent at the 24 August National March for Palestine.
  • Victorian Trades Hall Council and affiliates to support further strategic actions such as combined union delegates meetings and work-day mobilisations of union members.
  • All union members and our elected representatives to co-operate to build and extend the movement in our own unions, workplaces and communities to end Israel’s war and achieve justice for Palestine.
  • All unions and unionists to vigorously defend members facing repression for their advocacy for a free Palestine.

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14 August 2025, Victorian Labour Movement Stands in Solidarity with Palestine
RALLY: Nationwide March for Palestine 24 August 2025

RALLY: Nationwide March for Palestine 24 August 2025

SUNDAY 24 AUGUST 2025

It’s time to build a massive and unstoppable movement for Palestine!

Groups from around the country are calling for a huge nationwide march on Sunday 24 August.

Join hundreds of thousands across the country to demand:

  • Stop the starvation, stop the genocide!
  • Stop arming Israel
  • Sanction Israel now!

If you’re from a city or town not listed, click the button below to fill in the form to be part of this national mobilisation!

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Nationwide march for Palestine 24 August 2025

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Find out WHAT’S ON NEAR YOU:

Statement: On the Antisemitism Report and the Prime Minister’s Response

Statement: On the Antisemitism Report and the Prime Minister’s Response

10 July 2025: We are deeply alarmed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s embrace of recommendations that would see public funding withheld from universities, media organisations, and arts institutions unless they adopt a deeply contested definition of antisemitism—one that dangerously conflates criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews.

Theme: Overlay by Kaira.