Victorian school students have walked out of their classrooms in support of the people of Gaza.
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00:00 Walking out of the classroom and into a highly charged political debate.
00:07 There are schools being bombed actively in Gaza and those students can't learn so why should we?
00:13 What's happening in the world right now is really important for young people to understand and for us to have a voice and spread the word that this is not right.
00:21 Free, free Palestine!
00:24 Around 500 Victorian students taking to Melbourne's CBD calling for an end to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
00:31 People have left school en masse to say that business as usual cannot continue.
00:37 Parents joining their children in protest.
00:39 I just want to show my kids how lucky they are.
00:42 Free, free Palestine!
00:44 Protesters march down Swanston Street, stopping traffic at several major intersections before entering Melbourne Central.
00:51 Students were told today is just another day and to stay in the classroom.
00:55 But these protesters are demanding their voices be heard.
00:59 School is important but I think there's a lot of other important things in the world and those things need to be supported and shown.
01:07 The federal opposition and some Jewish Australians had called for the rally to be stopped amid what they say is a rise in anti-Semitism.
01:15 I don't feel like it's an appropriate use of their time. They should be in school learning and educating themselves.
01:20 There's something very wrong in this country when children are being weaponised, brainwashed and exploited to promote a dangerous and divisive agenda.
01:30 The Greens insist today's protest was about promoting a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
01:36 There's no place for anti-Semitism or Islamophobia in Australia.
01:42 People are marching for peace. People want to see an end to the bloodshed but also see everyone's rights respected here at home.
01:51 It's not a Muslim thing, it's a human thing. Everyone should take a stand and try to make a change.
01:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]