Pro-Palestine protesters defiant as crackdown looms
Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre.
Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system.
But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days".
"We won't stop," she told the crowd.
Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship.
It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months.
Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown.
"Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said.
Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023.
But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces.
Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests.
Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently".
One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer".
A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes.
But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters".
Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest.
"The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP.
"We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence."
The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday.
The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations.
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News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Gaza civil defence says Israeli strikes kill over 30 as truce talks deadlocked
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed more than 30 Palestinians, including children at a water distribution point, as talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas stalled. Delegations from Israel and the Palestinian militant group have now spent a week trying to agree on a temporary truce to halt 21 months of bitter fighting in the Gaza Strip. But on Saturday, each side accused the other of blocking attempts to secure an agreement at the indirect talks in the Qatari capital, Doha. There has meanwhile been no let-up in Israeli strikes on Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million have been displaced at least once during the war. Seven UN agencies on Saturday warned that a fuel shortage had reached "critical levels", threatening aid operations, hospital care and already chronic food insecurity. The civil defence agency said at least 31 people were killed in Israeli strikes overnight and into the morning. Eight people were killed in strikes on houses in Gaza City, in the north, agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said. In the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, 10 people were killed in a strike on a house, while 10 others including eight children were killed at a water distribution point, Bassal said. "We woke up to the sound of two large explosions," Khaled Rayyan told AFP after a house was flattened in Nuseirat. "Our neighbour and his children were under the rubble." Another resident, Mahmud al-Shami, called on the negotiators to secure an end to the war. "What happened to us has never happened in the entire history of humanity," he said. "Enough." In southern Gaza, three people were killed when Israeli jets hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, according to the civil defence spokesman. - Forced displacement fears - There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has recently intensified its operations across Gaza. On Saturday, the military said fighter jets had hit more than 35 "Hamas terror targets" around Beit Hanun in northern Gaza. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that led to 1,219 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says that at least 57,882 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military reprisals. The UN considers the figures reliable. Talks to agree a 60-day ceasefire in the fighting and hostage release were in the balance on Saturday after Israel and Hamas accused each other of trying to block a deal. Hamas wants the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, but a Palestinian source with knowledge of the talks said Israel had presented plans to maintain troops in more than 40 percent of the territory. The source said Israel wanted to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into the south of Gaza "in preparation for forcibly displacing them to Egypt or other countries". A senior Israeli official said Israel had demonstrated "a willingness to flexibility in the negotiations, while Hamas remains intransigent, clinging to positions that prevent the mediators from advancing an agreement". Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is prepared to enter talks for a more lasting end to hostilities once a temporary truce is agreed, but only if Hamas disarms. Thousands of people gathered in Israel's coastal hub of Tel Aviv on Saturday calling for the release of the hostages. "The window of opportunity... is open now and it won't be for long," said former captive Eli Sharabi.
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Pro-Palestine protesters defiant as crackdown looms
Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre. Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system. But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days". "We won't stop," she told the crowd. Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship. It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months. Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown. "Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations. Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre. Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system. But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days". "We won't stop," she told the crowd. Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship. It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months. Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown. "Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations. Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre. Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system. But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days". "We won't stop," she told the crowd. Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship. It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months. Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown. "Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations. Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre. Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system. But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days". "We won't stop," she told the crowd. Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship. It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months. Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown. "Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations.
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
Protester insists violent attacks not antisemitic as speaker predicts Israel's demise
A speaker at the latest of Melbourne's regular pro-Palestine rallies has insisted recent violent attacks at businesses with links to Israel were not antisemitic, as controversial chants were again led at Sunday's event. Speakers at Sunday's march, attended by hundreds in the CBD, also attacked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who last week released a report from his antisemitism envoy, and Premier Jacinta Allan, who announced a taskforce after last weekend's attacks, which included the firebombing of a synagogue. The protests have been held almost every weekend since Hamas' terror attack on Israel, which killed about 1300 people, and throughout Israel's devastating retaliation that has killed almost 60,000 people in Gaza as well as fuelled wider regional conflicts. One rally speaker said the media, including The Age, had misrepresented last weekend's incidents at Lovitt Technologies in Greensborough, where cars were torched, and Miznon restaurant, which was violently trashed, as antisemitic. 'The action at Lovitt Technologies was a legitimate target, because they provide military parts to F35 aircraft that are bombing civilians in Gaza right now,' said the speaker, whom this masthead has attempted to identify. She said the incident at Miznon in the CBD was also not an act of antisemitism, because of part-owner Shahar Segal's former role as a spokesman for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been widely criticised over its role in the deaths of civilians trying to access food in the enclave. 'The Miznon restaurant [incident] was not antisemitic, because the mother----er that runs that place has direct ties to the GHF that is killing starving civilians,' she said. She did not say whether she believed the tactics in those two attacks were justified but condemned the East Melbourne synagogue attack, saying the protesters would never target a place of worship.
