Organizers claim 50,000 marched in solidarity with Palestine, while police estimate 20,000—marking New Zealand’s largest rally since the Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023.
Auckland [New Zealand], September 14 – Central Auckland turned into a sea of Palestinian flags and powerful chants on Saturday as thousands of demonstrators gathered for the ‘March for Humanity’, an event organizers say is New Zealand’s largest show of solidarity with Palestine since the Gaza conflict began nearly two years ago.
According to Aotearoa for Palestine, nearly 50,000 people joined the rally, while New Zealand police put the crowd size closer to 20,000. Either way, the march marked an unprecedented scale of public protest in the country over the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.
The demonstration comes in the shadow of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, cross-border attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken. In response, Israel launched a devastating military campaign in Gaza, which critics say has caused massive civilian casualties and deepened the humanitarian crisis.
On Saturday, protestors carried placards reading “Don’t normalize genocide” and “Grow a spine, stand with Palestine.” The march, inspired by a similar action that brought Sydney’s Harbour Bridge to a standstill last month, was initially meant to close down one of Auckland’s city bridges. However, strong winds forced organizers to abandon the plan.
Despite the large turnout, police confirmed no arrests were made, and roads along the route have since been reopened.
Arama Rata, spokesperson for Aotearoa for Palestine, said the group wants Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s coalition government to impose sanctions on Israel. Luxon himself had earlier described Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid in Gaza as “utterly appalling,” and his government is still considering whether New Zealand should recognize a Palestinian state.
The protest also highlighted divisions within New Zealand’s communities. The New Zealand Jewish Council, which represents roughly 10,000 Jews in the country, has yet to issue a formal response to the march.
Meanwhile, in Israel, smaller protests unfolded outside Education Minister Yoav Kisch’s residence, where demonstrators demanded a ceasefire and a hostage-release deal. Posters accusing the government of “educating to abandon our brothers” and “educating to silence” reflected mounting frustration among Israeli families caught in the crisis.
The Auckland march underscored how the war’s impact continues to ripple across the world—uniting voices for peace, justice, and accountability thousands of miles away from Gaza.