Excessive force
Jewish community leaders have expressed concern an videos shared online show Victorian Police appear to push people holding Israeli and Australian flags, including members from the Lions of Zion group.
Videos from an anti-Israel protest in Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday appeared to show police pushing pro-Israel counter-demonstrators as a rowdy mob chanted, “All Zionists are terrorists.”
Thousands of ostensibly pro-Palestinian protesters returned to Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday, with one sign at the protest reading “Zionist kid killers be gone”, and a video showing a protestor allegedly yelling, “I’ll kill you” towards a counter-protest supporting Israel.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin slammed the offensive chant.
“To declare that all Zionists are terrorists is not only an attack on the notion of Jewish equality, it is an attack on virtually every Jew that supports it,” he said.
In videos shared online, police appear to push people holding Israeli and Australian flags, including members from the Lions of Zion group. A person wearing a Lions of Zion T-shirt was pepper-sprayed after allegedly pushing a pro-Palestinian protester to reclaim an Israeli flag.
The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) published a video of the police allegedly using force against the counter-protest on their social media.
AJA CEO Robert Gregory said the actions of Victoria Police “appear very concerning”.
“For 18 months, the Jewish community has watched as anti-Israel activists have been allowed to take over Melbourne CBD. When a small, peaceful group from the Jewish community and their supporters gather, they were met with aggression from police,” he alleged.
“As the Jewish people were being led away, they were subjected to ugly, antisemitic chants but police did not intervene. There must not be a double standard in policing. Victoria Police owe the Jewish community an explanation.”
Lions of Zion released a statement on Tuesday claiming its supporters were “subjected to unlawful acts of violence by certain officers of Victoria Police”.
Photo: Supplied“Specifically, their conduct violated section 6(5) of the Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic), which expressly permits peaceful assembly and protest,” the group said.
“Despite this, officers issued direct move-on orders, actions contrary to established statutory provisions.
“The footage unequivocally shows the officers employing excessive and disproportionate force in executing these unlawful directives.”
Jewish Community Council of Victoria president Philip Zajac said all Victorians, including Jews, have the right to protest peacefully.
“The JCCV takes reports of aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards Jews seriously and maintains regular dialogue with Victoria Police, including police leaders in the CBD,” he said.
“We expect police to uphold the rights and safety of all in the CBD.
The AJN asked Victoria Police why Jewish protesters were pushed back and whether it would take action in relation to the “all Zionists are terrorists” chant.
They responded merely by saying, “If an incident was reported to police, please advise so we can follow up for you. There were no arrests.”
Victorian Shadow Minister for Police David Southwick told The AJN, “Once again, pro-Hamas protesters are hijacking our city and spreading hate without facing any consequences.
“These protests will persist as long as the government remains inactive. We urgently need move-on laws to empower police and send a clear message that violent protesters have no place in Victoria.”
In another incident on Sunday captured on video, 26-year-old Josh Esakoff was on his way to an AFL match when he was sprayed with liquid by a pro-Palestinian protester.
Esakoff was not part of the counter-protest but carried an Israeli flag to support North Melbourne’s Harry Sheezel.
He told reporters, “I took the flag out because I needed to get something out of my bag and that’s when they saw the flag and started chanting ‘all Zionists are terrorists’. I was then sprayed with whatever that was in my face … It smelled like off milk.”
Esakoff said that when he complained to Victoria Police officers on the scene he was told to lodge a complaint online.
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