Lidia Thorpe speaks at a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne

Lidia Thorpe has declared at a pro-Palestinian rally that she had been a ‘prisoner’ in her own home and urged protesters to attend the Australia Day rallies.

The controversial senator took the field in front of thousands of protesters as they gathered outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne on Sunday.

The show of solidarity with Palestine came as pro-Israel demonstrations took place in Sydney, with demonstrators waving flags and signs depicting missing loved ones.

Earlier this week, students walked out of class calling for a ceasefire to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Ms Thorpe said she had been ‘a prisoner’ in her own home for the past five months, in what appeared to be a reference to the Voice referendum

Hundreds of people converged on the country’s major capitals on Sunday calling for a ceasefire against the “criminal siege” in the Gaza Strip.

Senator Lidia Thorpe attended the planned Palestinian protest in Melbourne organized by community action group Free Palestine Melbourne.

A large crowd gathered outside the State Library of Victoria as they waited for Senator Lidia Thorpe to speak.

When Thorpe took the stage, she apologized for not having been to previous protests and said she stood with Palestine, dressed in red and black, with face paint and a scarf with the Palestinian flag on it.

She said she had been “a prisoner” in her own home for the past five months, which appeared to be a reference to the Voice referendum.

“I will not allow this colonial system to commit and facilitate the genocide that is taking place in your country,” she said.

“Every day this war continues, I will make a statement.”

“We also want you to appear on January 26, which for us is invasion day,” she said, after speaking out against the ongoing “genocide” of Australia’s Aboriginal people.

The energetic crowd was electric even in less than ideal weather, with one speaker taking to the stage before Ms Thorpe questioned the ceasefire with Israel.

“Make no mistake, this is not a ceasefire, this is a pause,” the man said.

“Israeli terrorist forces still intend to continue their genocidal attack.

“This pause is temporary, but the trauma and pain that the people of Gaza will carry with them is permanent.”

Hundreds of people converged on the country’s major capitals on Sunday calling for a ceasefire against the ‘criminal siege’ in the Gaza Strip

A large crowd gathered in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon in support of Palestine

Today also saw a cycle ride from Bankstown to Brighton in support of Gaza.

Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip for more than a month. “Thousands of Palestinian men, women and children have been killed and thousands more injured,” read a description of the event at Sunday’s rally in Melbourne.

“Now more than ever, we must remain in solidarity with Palestine and demand an end to Israel’s criminal siege of Gaza.”

In Sydney, Jewish Australian protesters called for the release of the remaining child hostages held by Hamas.

Protests in recent months have been rocked by confrontational scenes, with some comparing the Jewish state to Nazi Germany and carrying around fake, bloodied corpses at rallies.

In Sydney, Jewish Australian protesters called for the release of the remaining child hostages held by Hamas

Thousands of people from Sydney’s Jewish community gathered in central Sydney for the protest

Hundreds of schoolchildren across the country defied the warnings as they left campuses this week in support of Palestine, despite politicians urging them to stay in school.

NSW Education Minister Prue Car said students should not be ‘left out of school’ for protesting.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday: ‘If you want to change the world, get an education and this is exactly why we have a world-class public education system.’

He said it was the wrong move to make school “the enemy” because he wanted children to “get a full education so that they would have knowledge of the world.”

The demonstrations come as Hamas announced it had released a second group of Israeli and foreign citizens it had taken hostage in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.