Four pro-Palestine protesters arrested after scaling roof of Australia’s Parliament House to unfurl banners criticising Gaza war | Australian politics

Prime minister Anthony Albanese says protesters who scaled Parliament House and unfurled banners should feel “the full force of the law”.

A review has been launched into the security breach after pro-Palestine protesters climbed onto the roof of the building in Canberra and unfurled a banner declaring “war crimes … enabled here”.

Four people – three men and one woman – were arrested and some areas of Australia’s federal parliament were locked down.

Thursday’s protest focused on the war in Gaza appeared to be coordinated with other actions highlighting the climate crisis and Indigenous rights.

Members of the public were cleared from Parliament House on the last sitting day of a two-week session before politicians head home for the six-week winter break.

At about 10am on Thursday, anti-coal protesters in T-shirts emblazoned with “Rising Tide” initially drew police and parliamentary security officers to the foyer inside the building.

They glued themselves to marble pillars and while they were being dislodged and escorted outside, a second set of protesters appeared to climb over a wall and onto a portico above the main entrance to Parliament House.

The activists perched on top of the building read out a statement that called for an end to “US and Australian support for the genocidal state of Israel”.

“To the Albanese government: we will not forget, we will not forgive, and we will continue to resist,” they said.

The group also stated: “Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.”

Palestinian authorities report that 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military response to Hamas’s 7 October attacks, when about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage.

The Israeli government maintains that its military operations are a legitimate response to the Hamas attacks, and has dismissed allegations it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza as “false” and “outrageous”.

House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick said an investigation would examine how the protesters made it onto the roof.

“I’ve asked the commissioner for a wider review of security arrangements. I do not want a repeat of today’s events,” he said.

“We are deeply concerned about this morning’s event.”

Anthony Albanese said the protesters’ decision to breach parliamentary security “undermines our democracy”.

“Those responsible should feel the full force of the law,” he said.

“Peaceful protest has an important place in our society, but this was not a peaceful protest.

“People should be able to come and watch their parliament function in real-time but activities such as [the protest] undermines that.”

Foreign minister Penny Wong said what occurred was “not appropriate” and those involved should “feel the full force of the law”.

“Peaceful protest does have an important place in our society. I think there are many who would question whether this was a peaceful protest, and their actions have done nothing to advance the cause of peace [in Gaza],” she said.

She also said there is a “tragic, horrific conflict that is occurring … we have seen loss of life at scale”.

“And people in Australia on all sides … are deeply distressed by this and those of us in this place do have an obligation to remember first and foremost, that one of the … prerequisites of our democracy, is our capacity to peacefully disagree.”

The climate protest was organised by the group Rising Tide.

A spokesperson, Shaun Murray, said the group comprised about 50 demonstrators including about a dozen who glued themselves to pillars inside the foyer.

Murray said the climate was passing critical tipping points and it was wrong for Australia to continue fossil fuel exports as if it was “business as usual”.

Asked whether his group knew other demonstrations would occur at the same time, Murray said: “No. I guess it’s just democracy in action. This government has got a shocking record on genocide and a shocking record on climate.”

The rooftop protesters climbed down after two hours and were detained by Australian federal police (AFP) officers. Police later confirmed four people were arrested and issued with 24-month banning notices from Parliament House.

Additional reporting Daniel Hurst and AAP