Sydney Marathon: Hundreds Protest Israeli Military Delegation, Demand War Crimes Accountability

Sydney Marathon: Hundreds Protest Israeli Military Delegation, Demand War Crimes Accountability

By Paul V. Young – TheNATIONWEEK.com | September 3, 2026

SYDNEY, Australia — Hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators lined the full length of the Sydney Marathon course on Sunday, a visible, unyielding presence demanding justice as a delegation of roughly 40 current and former Israeli soldiers and associates competed in the event. Protesters waved Palestinian flags, carried placards demanding the exclusion of “war criminals,” and called on Australia to “cut ties with apartheid Israel”—their message echoing across one of the nation’s highest-profile sporting occasions.

Many demonstrators wore keffiyehs and watermelon symbols, enduring emblems of Palestinian identity and resistance. The action was directly sparked by the government’s decision to grant visas to the Israeli contingent, which includes members of the Golani Brigade and Unit 8200—military formations repeatedly linked to serious alleged violations in Gaza. Among the runners is Roy Oryon, a former deputy company commander in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, which operated inside Gaza and later in southern Lebanon.

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry—whose findings concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza—has singled out the Golani Brigade as one of the “most criminally accused brigades” in the Israeli military. The unit has also been tied to an ambush that killed 15 paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza.

Human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti, a member of that UN commission, has urged Australian 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 stated. “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.”

Activists and critics condemn the Australian government’s approval of the group’s entry as a stark double standard, coming at a time when international bodies have documented widespread, severe violations against Palestinians. Online campaigns in the days before the race had already urged organizers and authorities to investigate the visitors rather than welcome them as participants.

The government now faces growing pressure to explain its decision, despite clear obligations under international law. For protesters lining the route, the issue transcends sport: it is a stand against impunity. Their unified message along the marathon course was unambiguous—no uniform, no distance, no diplomatic courtesy—can shield anyone from answering for alleged crimes against humanity.

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