‘Further demonstrations are utterly tone-deaf and deeply inappropriate’

NSW Police have declined an application for an official permit for anti-Israel activists to hold a rally this Sunday in Sydney, while in Melbourne, Caulfield MP David Southwick has called for police “to guarantee that extremism is not allowed to infiltrate the streets of Melbourne”.

If follows nauseating scenes at the Sydney Opera House on Monday night, where pro-Hamas demonstrators set off flares, burned Israeli flags and chanted “f**k the Jews” and “gas the Jews”.

“There is nothing to celebrate in the killing of innocent people, the firing of rockets at civilians, or the taking of hostages,” NSW Premier Chris Minns told parliament on Tuesday night.

“Members of the Jewish community should be able to feel safe and secure in their own city, state and country.”

Opposition Upper House MP Scott Farlow told the NSW Legislative Council, “What we saw yesterday [at the Opera House] cannot occur again. The scenes we have seen on the streets of Greenacre where people have been celebrating the attacks of Hamas on Israel and where firecrackers have been fired cannot be allowed to happen.”

An anti-Israel rally is still planned to take place at 1pm on Sunday at Sydney’s Hyde Park.

In Victoria, a spokesperson for Southwick said supposedly “pro-Palestine” protests in both Melbourne and Sydney had been “marred by reprehensible, fringe messages of incitement and abhorrent chants of racial violence”.

“In light of this, we believe further demonstrations are utterly tone-deaf and deeply inappropriate,”the spokesperson said.

“Whilst we believe in the right of all Victorians to express their views, there is a difference between respectful political discourse and contemptible extremism. Thus far, these demonstrations have been far too tolerant of the latter.”

The spokesperson said Southwick has been in contact with Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines and Premier Jacinta Allan and has called on them “to guarantee that extremism is not allowed to infiltrate the streets of Melbourne”.

“Melbourne’s Jewish community deserves nothing less than complete safety in their own city.”

France has banned pro-Palestinian rallies.

Addressing the rallies in a rare public statement, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess on Tuesday said he remained concerned about the potential for “opportunistic violence with little or no warning”.

It is important to distinguish opportunistic violence from planned violence or acts of terrorism. ASIO is carefully monitoring the situation for any indications of planned violence and were we to see any, we would respond accordingly, along with our law enforcement partners,” he said.

“It is important that all parties consider the implications for social cohesion when making public statements. As I have said previously, words matter. ASIO has seen direct connections between inflamed language and inflamed community tensions.”

Host of Channel 10’s The Project Waleed Aly attracted controversy when he addressed the ASIO statement and the NSW government’s position on the show on Thursday.

“I just think it’s a very dangerous path to walk,” he told viewers.

“Because they are responding to the idea of the Opera House being lit up in the colours of the Israeli flag, their whole thing is ‘recognise our pain, recognise our hurt, recognise our dead over how many years that haven’t been recognised,” he said.

“And when that’s the message – if the response from government ends up being ‘sorry, you cannot protest’ because there was a group of people who said something they absolutely shouldn’t have, then I think that will only increase resentment amongst all those protesters who had nothing to do with that.”

Meanwhile, together with representatives of CSG, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip met on Thursday with Police Minister Yasmin Catley and the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Operation Shelter – a standalone police taskforce established to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community.

“The Minister and the Assistant Commissioner outlined how Operation Shield will protect both Jewish life and Jewish way of life,” Ossip said.

“Together with the Premier, Treasurer and Multiculturalism Minister (who have all been in contact today), they have provided a commitment that any resources required to ensure the safety of our community will be provided.

“Please expect to see a more conspicuous police presence in the period ahead, particularly at Jewish schools and shules.”

Also on Thursday, a man faced court after allegedly threatening four teenagers in the Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill earlier this week. The AJN understands the construction worker made death threats against three Jewish teenagers who were displaying an Israeli flag on their car.

“If I f**king see you with that flag, I’ll f**king kill youse all [sic],” the man is alleged to have said.

The 23-year-old man is charged with stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm.

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