Students walk out of school around the country to protest One Nation

In Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, high school students walked out of their schools to protest against the One Nation political party and its leader, Pauline Hanson. Organized by the National Union of Students, the rallies drew hundreds of protesters in each city, who carried banners, signs, and effigies of Ms. Hanson. One Nation supporters were removed by police from the larger rallies in Sydney and Brisbane.

Students across the country joined the protests in capital cities and some regions, expressing their discontent with One Nation and its leader. In Melbourne, hundreds of students gathered outside the State Library, carrying anti-One Nation signs, banners, and a piñata designed to look like Ms. Hanson which was broken apart to reveal lollies.

The rally featured speeches from high school students and political leaders, including former Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam, who expressed hope that the youth could stop the rise of One Nation. She emphasized the importance of students exercising their democratic rights and standing up for equality and rights.

In Sydney, protesters filled the square outside Town Hall, chanting against racism, sexism, and homophobia. Greens Newtown MP Jenny Leong encouraged students to continue attending rallies and pledged to support their cause. She urged students to pledge to continue attending rallies and make their voices heard. One year 9 student shared that he faced resistance from teachers before walking out of school, while others mentioned they had received permission from their parents to skip school entirely.

The media reported on the significant turnout of high school students walking out of school to join protests. Organizers celebrated the democratic spirit demonstrated by the youth, stating that this was what democracy looked like. In Brisbane, a One Nation supporter was arrested for yelling "Pauline Hanson will save Australia" to the protest crowd.

Despite the arrests, students continued to voice their discontent, with Connor Knight, a university student for Palestine, expressing his support for the protests and emphasizing the importance of standing up against a society going backwards.