Caltex service stations targeted in pro-Palestine protests

Pro-Palestine protesters have gathered outside Caltex petrol stations across Australia ahead of the one year anniversary of the war in Gaza.

Protesters waved Palestinian flags and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza outside Caltex in Preston in Melbourne's northeast on Saturday.

The protest was called by the Australian Friends of Palestine Association and aims to put pressure on the Chevron-owned service station conglomerate.

The US company “operates in and partially owns” natural gas fields claimed by Israel in the Mediterranean, from which about 70 per cent of Israel's power comes.

“With its extraction and offshore pipelines, Chevron funnels millions of dollars into Israel making it a partner in Israel’s energy apartheid,” according to the AFOPA.

The money, the association claims, is used to fund the military blockade of the Gaza Strip and the “illegal exploitation of Palestinian land and natural resources”.

Chevron and its international service stations, which in Australia includes Caltex and Puma stations, first became the target of the BDS movement in 2022.

BDS, also known as Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, calls for nonviolent resistance to companies operating in, or partnered with, the Israeli state.

Other notable companies targeted by the BDS movement include fast food giants McDonalds and Dominos, as well as Volvo, Disney, and Airbnb.

The protest comes days before the one year anniversary of Palestinian militant group Hamas’ attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

About 1200 Israelis were killed when Hamas launched its surprise attack, with some 41,500 Palestinians killed in the proceeding invasion.

Vigils are expected to be held across Australia on Monday evening by pro-Palestinian groups to mark the one-year anniversary of the war.

In NSW, organisers agreed on a last-minute deal with NSW Police who took pro-Palestine groups to court in order to stop the protests.