Dunedin For Justice In Palestine Is Joining The International Day Of Action For Palestine

Dunedin for Justice in Palestine, Ōtepoti Dunedin’s central organising coalition for Palestine solidarity action, is joining the International Day of Action for Palestine on 6 September and calling for sanctions on Israel, ahead of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) which commences on Tuesday, 9 September 2025. Notably, this General Assembly will be discussing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and the Israeli government and settlement practices which prevent these rights being realised.

A demonstration is being held on 6 September at 1pm in the Octagon to make some noise, support local Palestinian whānau, and raise the call for sanctions. Public actions in solidarity with Palestine have been growing in number and size over the last month, and Dunedin for Justice in Palestine is asking the public to join this historic movement for liberation.

“In the face of apartheid Israel’s brutal genocide of Palestinians, our government has shuffled its feet and repeatedly made excuses for its spineless non-action,” says spokesperson Brandon Johnstone. “Clearly our so-called leaders care more about keeping Trump and Netanyahu happy than they do about the freedom and survival of occupied peoples and meeting our obligations under International Law.”

“Attention is now being diverted to calls for recognition of Palestinian statehood. This is absurdly insufficient in the face of hundreds of lives being extinguished every single day, against a background of overt promises by the Israeli government to ethnically cleanse Gaza.”

“Sanctions are needed immediately, but our Minister for Foreign Affairs is apparently afraid to meaningfully criticise Israel or big brother USA, let alone sanction Israel in the face of its renewed invasion of an illegally-occupied territory. Peters has failed to even condemn illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land, despite 21 foreign ministers calling out these violations of international law.”

“We will not be distracted,” Johnstone asserts. “This solidarity movement extends into houses of worship, trade unions, universities and all throughout civil society. We will be in the streets again, and again, and again, with ordinary people all over the world, until Israel is restrained and Palestinians can build their own future - free from violent military occupation.”

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