Runners participate during the start of the 2026 Sydney Marathon.
Hundreds protest ‘Israeli’ soldiers at Sydney Marathon
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Hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators lined the course of the Sydney Marathon on Sunday, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards that demanded the exclusion of “war criminals” and called for Australia to “cut ties with apartheid Israel.”
The protests targeted a delegation of about 40 current and former ‘Israeli’ soldiers and associates who had been granted visas to compete in the event, some of them linked to units active in Gaza.
Many protesters wore keffiyehs and watermelon symbols of Palestinian identity and resistance.
Well done to the protesters in Australia.
— Earth Hippy (@hippyygoat) August 30, 2026
Why were 40 Israeli soldiers baby killers allowed into the country to run the Sydney Marathon after taking part in the genocide in Gaza pic.twitter.com/GF4GS0Q7R9
Activists criticised the Australian government’s decision to allow the group entry, arguing it showed double standards at a time when international bodies have documented severe violations against Palestinians.
Online campaigns in the days before the race had already urged organisers and authorities to investigate the visitors rather than welcome them as participants.
The ‘Israeli’ contingent included members of the Golani Brigade and Unit 8200. One runner, Roy Oryon, served as deputy company commander in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, which operated in Gaza and later in southern Lebanon.
A member of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry that concluded ‘Israel’ was committing genocide in Gaza has described the Golani Brigade as one of the “most criminally accused brigades” in the ‘Israeli’ military.
Golani troops have also been linked to an ambush that killed 15 paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza.
Human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti, a member of that UN commission, called for federal police to question any former soldiers who served in Gaza.
“The Golani Brigade is probably the most notorious brigade in the Israeli military. It is one of the worst performing, most criminally accused brigades,” Sidoti said.
“These soldiers should be greeted at the border, and if they have served in units suspected of war crimes, they should be held and interviewed, or turned back home. We have an obligation under international law to investigate possible war crimes.”
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement stated: “Australian authorities have a legal obligation to act. Every state is obliged to investigate and prosecute those suspected of committing genocide.”
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network demanded “urgent scrutiny,” saying Australia cannot claim to uphold international law while allowing individuals suspected of involvement in serious international crimes, including plausible genocide, to enter without proper investigation.
The visit was organised with support from the Zionist Council of NSW and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and billed as a “peace delegation” raising funds for an ‘Israeli’ disability charity.
It came days after ‘Israel’ declined to pursue criminal charges over the 2024 killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom in a World Central Kitchen convoy strike in Gaza, intensifying local anger.
