Pro-Palestine protesters on roof of Parliament House

Pro-Palestinian activists have breached security to stage a protest on the roof of Parliament House.

At least four protesters have unfurled banners, including one that reads: “From the river to the see, Palestine will be free”, a phrase considered to be anti-Semitic.

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has described the security breach as “very, very serious”.

The protest is taking place on the final sitting day of federal parliament before it breaks till mid-August.

The protesters, with covered faces and wearing keffiyehs, can be seen from the Parliament House forecourt.

In a long and rambling sermon, one protester called for an end of Australia’s complicity in war crimes saying it continues to enable genocide in Gaza.

“The whole damn government, blood on your hands,” they chanted.

In an embarrassing moment, the protester’s voice began to break prompting him to take a break.

They also chanted “always was, always will be Aboriginal land” and paid tribute to Julian Assange.

The protest coincides with Independence Day in the US.

Communication from the protesters states “on the Fourth of July, we emphasise the point that Australia relentlessly continues to enable and commit war crimes as an all of our great and powerful friends”.

“Australia continues to sell arms and parts for the weapons systems being used to kill, maim and dislocate tens of thousands of innocent people, destroy entire towns,” it states.

Police have yet to attempt to remove the protesters following the alarming security breach.

Meanwhile, another group of protesters out the front of the parliament were also chanted “free Palestine”.

Mr Joyce, a former deputy prime minister, said the protest raised “serious, serious questions,” about how the protesters managed to access the facade.

“They should get them down and go through them like a packet of salts and find everything out about them,” he said.

“Don’t take it at face value. This is planned.”

“I bet you without a shadow of a doubt, there’s some very bad people watching this and going: That’s interesting. They’re there. They got through.”

He said the timing was especially concerning given the press gallery’s annual Midwinter Ball had been held on Wednesday night.

“Last night here we had all the politicians in one room, how convenient. You just walk through the door and you would have had the Leader of the Opposition, to the Treasurer, to the Prime Minister, to the minister of defence,” he said.

“There’s some serious and serious questions to answer on exactly how this came about.”

Opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham said he was concerned by the demonstration. “We’ve seen in defence of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, but that’s got to be done in ways that don’t put other people in danger (and) don’t create massive inconvenience for other Australians as well,” he said.

There doesn’t appear to be any link between the demonstration and the indefinite suspension of Senator Fatima Payman after she crossed the floor in support of a Greens motion on Palestinian statehood.

Speaking to Sky News, independent Fowler MP Dai Le said she was “shocked” by the protest, and questioned how activists managed to bypass security.

“I came here to be prepared to talk on your program about the cost-of-living and I was told that (there were) protests happening outside,” she said.

Pro-Palestinian protests have been held around the country since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last October.

More to come