Tame leads hateful protests
Inside, songs of peace. Outside, chants to “globalise the intifada” as Grace Tame led protests against Herzog.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit and has called for calm after hateful protests took place while the Jewish community gathered to mourn the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Extraordinary security measures were taken to allow the community to come together for “An Evening of Light and Solidarity” with President Herzog and his wife Michal providing comfort and support.
But while the community sang songs of peace and hope inside the venue, outside on nearby streets former Australian of the Year Grace Tame led chants of “from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada” at a rally against President Herzog’s visit.
NSW Premier Chris Minns, who attended the Jewish community event, said the chants created “a distressing scene”.
“In the circumstances where six weeks ago we lost 15 members of the Jewish community to a hate crime, a violent terrorist uprising, that’s what the consequences of ‘globalise the intifada’ mean, a violent uprising in Sydney’s streets,” Minns said.
“I can only imagine what those families thought when they saw someone screaming it from the steps of Town Hall, the pain they would have gone through.”
Both former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson have called for Tame to be stripped of her Australian of the Year honour.
Speaking in Parliament, Albanese said it is appropriate for Herzog to be in the country for “a community which is hurting, a community that is reaching out and just asking for some understanding”.
“He has said – to quote him – that his visit is in the spirit of solidarity, friendship and love. There’s not enough of that anywhere in the world, not the least here in the past couple of months,” Albanese said, before directing a message to the Greens.
“I’ve said before, and I will say it again to conclude, we need to turn the temperature down and the Greens political party need to be a part of turning that temperature down, rather than up,” he said.
“In Australia, we can disagree peacefully and with respect. I will treat President Herzog with respect. I’ve known him for a long period of time. He is someone who you can have a respectful discussion with whilst examining differences which are there.”