Protestors ‘emboldened’ to support terror

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to react to pro-Hezbollah protestors and “show the leadership that our country requires”.

It comes as Albanese called the waving of Hezbollah flags in Australia “worrying”, without mentioned the terror group by name.

Dozens of protestors, including children, raised Hezbollah flags and carried framed photographs of the assassinated terror chief Hassan Nasrallah through the streets of Melbourne and Sydney on Sunday.

Crowds also gathered for vigils at three Sydney mosques on Monday night to pay tribute to Nasrallah.

“We’ve got Jewish schools where we’ve got armed guards out the front of, there are people who are living in the Jewish community in fear and there is an absolute outrage in relation to the glorification of a terrorist leader, which surely must be against the Australian law, and if it’s not, the parliament should be recalled to pass a law that prohibits that from happening,” Dutton told a Brisbane radio station.

“I find it completely unacceptable that the government wouldn’t be arresting people already, or cancelling visas of people who are glorifying Hezbollah and Hamas and others.

“They have no place in our country.”

Dutton said that by allowing protests to continue for months on weekends and at universities, Albanese is sending a message that “some antisemitism is okay”.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned he will consider cancelling the visas of anyone who incites “discord” in Australia, with Opposition Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson claiming the protests are “the direct result of the weakness shown by the Albanese government”.

“The law is clear. Incitement to violence based on religion is a crime,” said Paterson.

“Publicly displaying a symbol of a listed terrorist organisation is a crime. But the failure to enforce the law since 7 October has emboldened extremists in our community to parade their hate and terrify the Jewish community.”

But the Australian Federal Police said they could not arrest someone just for displaying images associated with an extremist group, even under new laws that started operating in January.

“The mere public display of a prohibited symbol on its own does not meet the threshold of a Commonwealth offence,” an AFP spokeswoman said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said support for a terrorist organisation, “fuels fear and division in our communities”.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said Australian laws clearly define Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation and make it unlawful to support it.

“If our laws are to have meaning and effect they must be enforced,” said Ryvchin.

“It is appalling to see Australians publicly profess admiration for a terrorist leader who led the slaughter of civilians in Syria, including the brutalisation and starvation of Palestinians and heaped pain on his own people by waging wars on Israel despite the absence of any territorial disputes between Lebanon and Israel. This has to be investigated before evil words again become evil deeds.”

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi spoke at the protest in Sydney, with Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) President Jeremy Leibler saying it shows again that the Greens are willing to stoop to any level to win votes, including endorsing a rally supporting Hezbollah.

“We have had almost 12 months of these rallies in Australia, which have often descended into violence and antisemitism,” said Leibler.

“Unsurprisingly, the failure of any action being taken by police and government has resulted in protestors being given the green light to openly celebrate listed terrorist organisations, Hezbollah and Hamas.

“The Greens are the third largest political party in Australia, and it should send a shiver down the spine of every Australian that they are openly endorsing a rally openly supporting Hezbollah.”

A NSW Police spokesperson said CCTV footage of the rally in Sydney is being reviewed, together with other information, to determine if charges will be laid.

“During the protest, police issued a number of warnings to protestors due to their conduct,” the spokesperson said.

Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto said the support for Hezbollah across Melbourne and Sydney was “deeply disturbing”.

“The Allan Labor Government, along with Victoria Police and the Commonwealth Government, have a responsibility to ensure the safety and freedom of all Victorians who are entitled to go about their lives free from fear and persecution,” said Pesutto.

“The Victorian Liberals and Nationals continue to stand in solidarity with Victoria’s Jewish community, who have faced an unprecedented rise in antisemitism over the past 12 months.”

Labor MP Josh Burns said, “Support for a proscribed terrorist organisation has no place on the streets of Melbourne.

“Anyone breaking counter-terrorism legislation should face the full force of the law.”

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