Pro-Palestine rally LIVE: Demonstrations kick off in Sydney and Melbourne

A man has been arrested for allegedly holding a sign with the Nazi Swastika replacing the Star of David on Israel’s flag.

He is understood to be the first person to be arrested in Sydney while police scour through the crowds and speak to those holding signs and placcards which could be deemed illegal.

The man is expected to be charged later today.

NSW Police are stopping protestors to ensure they are not waving Hezbollah flags.

The flag is known for its green and gold colours with a hand holding a rifle and the Arabic phrase ‘Party of Allah’ written across it.

One man was stopped by police holding a similarly coloured flag – however a silhouette of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly was printed in the centre.

‘Our boys in green and gold will win,’ was written underneath.

Dozens of other protestors were seen carrying the same coloured flags with different emblems – such as a tree – printed on it.

Police warned attendees before the protest that flying the Hezbollah flag is a criminal offence.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna is expected to provide an update after a protestor was arrested at the pro-Palestine protest in Hyde Park

The man was moved on from the pro-Palestinian protest by police officers who said he was ‘purposely agitating’ demonstrators.

He said he had just come from a memorial event in Southbank when he yelled ‘shame’ at the crowd.

‘I’m a Jewish-Australian, we came to our own peaceful demonstration to ask for hostages to be released and for peace in the world,’ he told the ABC.

‘I said a few words, I probably shouldn’t have said anything, I got upset.’

He added that he would like to be ‘proud to be able to walk in Melbourne without feeling scared’.

‘The police told me to move on in case I was injured or hit, I understand their concern but should I feel sad to walk around my own country, my own city?’

Sydney protesters have marched through the city’s CBD to the sound of drums and chants, with one dressed as Belle from ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Another demonstrator was seen holding a large Palestinian flag over his shoulder with what appears to be blood covering his face.

Organisers had pleaded with attendees to ‘not interact with any hecklers’ before inviting them to a vigil marking the anniversary of the October 7 attacks at Town Hall.

Thousands of protestors have made their way from the State Library along Swanston Street to swarm around Flinders Street Station.

‘We’re closing the city today,’ Nasser Mashni, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network President, told the crowd.

Attendees joined in by chanting ‘there’s no shopping while bombs are dropping’.

A speaker at a rally in Sydney, Lizzy Jarrett, has lashed out at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for ‘funding’ a ‘genocide’.

‘It’s time for Anthony Albanese and all his little f******g genocidal minions to get the f**k out of that government,’ she told the rally.

‘He was pretending to be one of us not long ago … he is the worst of the worst.’

Mr Albanese has previously said that Australia hasn’t supplied Israel with weapons for five years and that he supports other countries limiting arms given to Israel.

A speaker at a rally in Sydney’s Hyde Park took time to thank NSW Police for making the protest ‘relevant’ after requesting a court order to have the demonstration prohibited earlier this week.

The request was pulled the following day, allowing the protest to continue as planned.

She also warned attendees to not give police ‘a reason to use their powers’ if the demostration became ‘hectic’.

‘If things do get hectic, if the police do start calling in, please look after each other,’ the speaker said.

‘Take care of each other because we all know they won’t take care of us.’

A man has been pictured smiling while being detained by police while protestors begin their march through Melbourne’s CBD after hearing speeches from Lidia Thorpe and former national secretary of the CFMEU, Christy Cain.

Organisers used megaphones to lead protesters through chants while police kept a close eye on the crowd.

A number of demonstrators were holding posters in support of Palestine and Lebanon during the march, including a number from health care workers.

At least 2,000 people have arrived at Hyde Park just after organisers started the Pro-Palestinian rally at 1pm.

Attendees could be heard chanting ‘Glory, glory to our martyrs, All our children, sons and daughters’ and ‘From the river, to the sea, Palestine will be free’ which has become synonymous with similar rallies around the world.

Some protestors set up a makeshift stall selling Palestinian and Lebanese flags and T-shirts for attendees as they approached the rally.

A stage has also been set up on the back of a ute for speeches.

Ms Allan said Victoria Police had been the ‘tools and the resources’ to deal with the protests which she described as ‘deeply inappropriate’.

‘It’s critically important to re-emphasise that October 7 is not a day to protest, it’s not a day to add to the deep grief and trauma that is being experienced by so many in our community,’ Ms Allan said at a media conference before the protests started.

‘There is a right to peacefully protest but with that right comes a responsibility to do so respectfully and understand what the grief and trauma is being experienced by others in our community.

‘It should be a day of understanding. We need to pause and see that conflict in the Middle East should not bring conflict to the streets of Melbourne or Victoria.’

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe made an appearance as thousands of demonstrators gathered in Melbourne.

Organiser Nasser Mashni addressed demonstrators outside of the State Library.

‘There are a lot of agitators about… Trying to make you say something you might regret that will hurt our movement. Ignore fascists,’ he said.

‘Embrace everything that we are, we are a movement of love. A movement of inclusion. A movement of belonging. If you have any hate here, you don’t belong here.’

A top police officer has warned unruly pro-Palestine demonstrators they risk being arrested for bad behaviour.

NSW police minister Yasmin Catley issued the warning on Sunday ahead of planned protests in Sydney.

‘If everybody is doing the right thing, no problem, no problem whatsoever,’ she said.

‘But if you’re not, you can expect to be arrested. It’s as simple as that. There will be no tolerance for misbehavior. There will be no tolerance for racial slurs, zero tolerance from the New South Wales Police.

‘We do not want the war in the Middle East playing out on our streets in Sydney. That anger has no place here.’

The warning was displayed on a screen in Hyde Park, in Sydney’s CBD,
reminding demostraters that flying Hezbollah symbols is regarded as a criminal offence.