Rallies must end

Premier’s demo call

The demonstrations have cost Victorian taxpayers millions of dollars since October 7 and have led to many Jews expressing fear about venturing into the city.

Protestors waved Hezbollah flags and carried photos of Hassam Nasrallah through the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. Photo: X
Protestors waved Hezbollah flags and carried photos of Hassam Nasrallah through the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. Photo: X

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has urged an end to weekly pro-Palestinian protests in Melbourne’s CBD.

She said if the guns can be silenced in Gaza, peace should also prevail on Australian streets.

The demonstrations have cost Victorian taxpayers millions of dollars since October 7 and have led to many Jews expressing fear about venturing into the city.

Allan believes there is now a need for social healing.

“There is hurt on both sides here,” the Premier said on Monday. “What does not heal that hurt, what does not do the work to mend our social cohesion, is continuing to bring that sort of disruption to our streets.

“If they can find a space for a ceasefire in the Middle East, surely we can find a space for these protests to come to an end in Melbourne,” she said.

The Premier’s call has been welcomed by Jewish community leaders, with Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler praising Allan’s leadership on the issue.

He highlighted the connection between the rhetoric at the protests and rising antisemitism across Australia.

“Premier Allan has demonstrated real leadership in calling for an end to these protests, and she is absolutely right to do so,” Leibler said.

“From violent rhetoric to the flags of listed terrorist organisations proudly being flown, and targeted attacks on Jewish Australians, these protests have not been about peaceful discourse, they have emboldened those who seek to intimidate and divide.”

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also backed the Premier’s stance.

Acting chief executive Chanelle Pearson said Melbourne businesses have endured 15 months of disruption from the protests.

“Enough is enough,” she stated.

“There is now a pathway to peace in the Middle East and yet another protest in Melbourne is unlikely to have an impact on accelerating that pathway.”

Some protest organisers appear to be heeding the call, with Burgertory restaurant chain owner Hash Tayeh announcing he will shift his focus to “advocacy, rebuilding and accountability”.

However, other groups, including the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, have vowed to continue their demonstrations, describing the ceasefire as “little more than a bandage over an open wound”.

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