Charges laid amid restaurant's distress over protest
The demonstration outside Miznon in Melbourne's CBD on Friday was one of several incidents targeting Melbourne's Jewish community in recent days, with protesters smashing a window, upending tables and throwing chairs.
About 20 protesters converged on the restaurant, some chanting "death to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Force.
Police on Tuesday charged a 50-year-old Richmond man, a 48-year-old Footscray woman and a 28-year-old Essendon woman with assault, affray, riotous behaviour and criminal damage after another person was arrested and then released for hindering police that night.
The restaurant said the actions of a few had caused much distress to customers, patrons and staff in neighbouring restaurants.
"The events on Friday evening had a profound impact on our restaurant and staff," the owners said in an Instagram post.
"We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome ... we respect everyone's right to their own nationality and religion. We ask for the same."
The group Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance has taken responsibility for the protest, saying the venue was chosen because the owner was a spokesperson for an Israeli aid organisation that "weaponised aid".
"While politicians in so-called Australia clutch their pearls over one meal that was interrupted, we ask people to refocus their attention on Israel's genocidal reign of terror over the Palestinians," the group said on Instagram.
Victoria Police has rejected claims its officers were told not to confront the protesters at the restaurant and an independent officer will review the overall response.
A state task force has been announced to tackle hate and examine police powers after a string of incidents including an arson on the East Melbourne Synagogue that forced 20 worshippers inside to flee.
Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged over the firebombing.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the synagogue on Tuesday where she spoke to community members and inspected the damage.
She urged the prime minister to convene a national cabinet meeting of state and territory policing authorities and wants the government to reveal its plans to protect Jewish Australians.
Ms Ley said she supported a national anti-hate unit but there had already been plenty of taskforces and talkfests.
Anthony Albanese has flagged more action from his government as it works with a special envoy on anti-Semitism but pushed back against hosting a national cabinet.
"Let's be clear. What people want is not a meeting. They want action," the prime minister told reporters in Hobart.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion urged Victorian authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and bring in protest zones.
Premier Jacinta Allan labelled the weekly rally "odious" but said protesting was part of democracy.
Protest organisers stressed they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and leaders needed to distinguish between the IDF and Australia's Jewish community.
The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network condemned the "smear" against peaceful protesters and rejected efforts to undermine protest by fixating on slogans while Israel bombs refugee camps and blocks food aid.
The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory" to link the anti-Semitic act with legitimate protests.
Separate offenders on Saturday spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" then set them alight in the city's northeast, while a fourth incident involved offensive images spray-painted on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick.
The owners of an Israeli restaurant that was targeted by protesters have broken their silence, detailing the "profound impact" of the incident as police charge more people over the incident.
The demonstration outside Miznon in Melbourne's CBD on Friday was one of several incidents targeting Melbourne's Jewish community in recent days, with protesters smashing a window, upending tables and throwing chairs.
About 20 protesters converged on the restaurant, some chanting "death to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Force.
Police on Tuesday charged a 50-year-old Richmond man, a 48-year-old Footscray woman and a 28-year-old Essendon woman with assault, affray, riotous behaviour and criminal damage after another person was arrested and then released for hindering police that night.
The restaurant said the actions of a few had caused much distress to customers, patrons and staff in neighbouring restaurants.
"The events on Friday evening had a profound impact on our restaurant and staff," the owners said in an Instagram post.
"We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome ... we respect everyone's right to their own nationality and religion. We ask for the same."
The group Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance has taken responsibility for the protest, saying the venue was chosen because the owner was a spokesperson for an Israeli aid organisation that "weaponised aid".
"While politicians in so-called Australia clutch their pearls over one meal that was interrupted, we ask people to refocus their attention on Israel's genocidal reign of terror over the Palestinians," the group said on Instagram.
Victoria Police has rejected claims its officers were told not to confront the protesters at the restaurant and an independent officer will review the overall response.
A state task force has been announced to tackle hate and examine police powers after a string of incidents including an arson on the East Melbourne Synagogue that forced 20 worshippers inside to flee.
Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged over the firebombing.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the synagogue on Tuesday where she spoke to community members and inspected the damage.
She urged the prime minister to convene a national cabinet meeting of state and territory policing authorities and wants the government to reveal its plans to protect Jewish Australians.
Ms Ley said she supported a national anti-hate unit but there had already been plenty of taskforces and talkfests.
Anthony Albanese has flagged more action from his government as it works with a special envoy on anti-Semitism but pushed back against hosting a national cabinet.
"Let's be clear. What people want is not a meeting. They want action," the prime minister told reporters in Hobart.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion urged Victorian authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and bring in protest zones.
Premier Jacinta Allan labelled the weekly rally "odious" but said protesting was part of democracy.
Protest organisers stressed they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and leaders needed to distinguish between the IDF and Australia's Jewish community.
The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network condemned the "smear" against peaceful protesters and rejected efforts to undermine protest by fixating on slogans while Israel bombs refugee camps and blocks food aid.
The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory" to link the anti-Semitic act with legitimate protests.
Separate offenders on Saturday spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" then set them alight in the city's northeast, while a fourth incident involved offensive images spray-painted on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick.
The owners of an Israeli restaurant that was targeted by protesters have broken their silence, detailing the "profound impact" of the incident as police charge more people over the incident.
The demonstration outside Miznon in Melbourne's CBD on Friday was one of several incidents targeting Melbourne's Jewish community in recent days, with protesters smashing a window, upending tables and throwing chairs.
About 20 protesters converged on the restaurant, some chanting "death to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Force.
Police on Tuesday charged a 50-year-old Richmond man, a 48-year-old Footscray woman and a 28-year-old Essendon woman with assault, affray, riotous behaviour and criminal damage after another person was arrested and then released for hindering police that night.
The restaurant said the actions of a few had caused much distress to customers, patrons and staff in neighbouring restaurants.
"The events on Friday evening had a profound impact on our restaurant and staff," the owners said in an Instagram post.
"We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome ... we respect everyone's right to their own nationality and religion. We ask for the same."
The group Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance has taken responsibility for the protest, saying the venue was chosen because the owner was a spokesperson for an Israeli aid organisation that "weaponised aid".
"While politicians in so-called Australia clutch their pearls over one meal that was interrupted, we ask people to refocus their attention on Israel's genocidal reign of terror over the Palestinians," the group said on Instagram.
Victoria Police has rejected claims its officers were told not to confront the protesters at the restaurant and an independent officer will review the overall response.
A state task force has been announced to tackle hate and examine police powers after a string of incidents including an arson on the East Melbourne Synagogue that forced 20 worshippers inside to flee.
Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged over the firebombing.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the synagogue on Tuesday where she spoke to community members and inspected the damage.
She urged the prime minister to convene a national cabinet meeting of state and territory policing authorities and wants the government to reveal its plans to protect Jewish Australians.
Ms Ley said she supported a national anti-hate unit but there had already been plenty of taskforces and talkfests.
Anthony Albanese has flagged more action from his government as it works with a special envoy on anti-Semitism but pushed back against hosting a national cabinet.
"Let's be clear. What people want is not a meeting. They want action," the prime minister told reporters in Hobart.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion urged Victorian authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and bring in protest zones.
Premier Jacinta Allan labelled the weekly rally "odious" but said protesting was part of democracy.
Protest organisers stressed they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and leaders needed to distinguish between the IDF and Australia's Jewish community.
The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network condemned the "smear" against peaceful protesters and rejected efforts to undermine protest by fixating on slogans while Israel bombs refugee camps and blocks food aid.
The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory" to link the anti-Semitic act with legitimate protests.
Separate offenders on Saturday spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" then set them alight in the city's northeast, while a fourth incident involved offensive images spray-painted on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick.
The owners of an Israeli restaurant that was targeted by protesters have broken their silence, detailing the "profound impact" of the incident as police charge more people over the incident.
The demonstration outside Miznon in Melbourne's CBD on Friday was one of several incidents targeting Melbourne's Jewish community in recent days, with protesters smashing a window, upending tables and throwing chairs.
About 20 protesters converged on the restaurant, some chanting "death to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Force.
Police on Tuesday charged a 50-year-old Richmond man, a 48-year-old Footscray woman and a 28-year-old Essendon woman with assault, affray, riotous behaviour and criminal damage after another person was arrested and then released for hindering police that night.
The restaurant said the actions of a few had caused much distress to customers, patrons and staff in neighbouring restaurants.
"The events on Friday evening had a profound impact on our restaurant and staff," the owners said in an Instagram post.
"We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome ... we respect everyone's right to their own nationality and religion. We ask for the same."
The group Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance has taken responsibility for the protest, saying the venue was chosen because the owner was a spokesperson for an Israeli aid organisation that "weaponised aid".
"While politicians in so-called Australia clutch their pearls over one meal that was interrupted, we ask people to refocus their attention on Israel's genocidal reign of terror over the Palestinians," the group said on Instagram.
Victoria Police has rejected claims its officers were told not to confront the protesters at the restaurant and an independent officer will review the overall response.
A state task force has been announced to tackle hate and examine police powers after a string of incidents including an arson on the East Melbourne Synagogue that forced 20 worshippers inside to flee.
Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged over the firebombing.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the synagogue on Tuesday where she spoke to community members and inspected the damage.
She urged the prime minister to convene a national cabinet meeting of state and territory policing authorities and wants the government to reveal its plans to protect Jewish Australians.
Ms Ley said she supported a national anti-hate unit but there had already been plenty of taskforces and talkfests.
Anthony Albanese has flagged more action from his government as it works with a special envoy on anti-Semitism but pushed back against hosting a national cabinet.
"Let's be clear. What people want is not a meeting. They want action," the prime minister told reporters in Hobart.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion urged Victorian authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and bring in protest zones.
Premier Jacinta Allan labelled the weekly rally "odious" but said protesting was part of democracy.
Protest organisers stressed they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and leaders needed to distinguish between the IDF and Australia's Jewish community.
The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network condemned the "smear" against peaceful protesters and rejected efforts to undermine protest by fixating on slogans while Israel bombs refugee camps and blocks food aid.
The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory" to link the anti-Semitic act with legitimate protests.
Separate offenders on Saturday spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" then set them alight in the city's northeast, while a fourth incident involved offensive images spray-painted on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick.
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"Hamas wants to change a few central matters, it's not simple, but there is progress," he told Israel's public broadcaster Kan on Tuesday. Senior Israeli officials briefing journalists in Washington said it may take more than a few days to finalise agreements in Doha. Another Israeli official said progress had been made. In Gaza City, children walked through debris, where residents said an Israeli airstrike had hit overnight, with children among the casualties. The Israeli military did not immediately provide details on the target of the strike. "We hope that a ceasefire will be reached and that the massacres against the Palestinian people will stop," said Mohammed Joundiya, standing in the rubble left in the aftermath of the attack. At Israel's parliament in Jerusalem, former hostage Keith Siegel, who was released in February in a previous ceasefire, described the anguish of those held incommunicado for hundreds of days in Hamas captivity. "We have a window of opportunity to save lives," he said, "every minute is critical." Hamas has long demanded an end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would not agree to end the fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to still be alive. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing around 1200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. Israel's subsequent campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, displaced almost the entire population of more than two million people, sparked a humanitarian crisis in the enclave and left much of the territory in ruins. Israeli officials say that gaps can be bridged between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas at peace talks in Qatar, though it may take more than a few days to reach a deal to free hostages and halt fighting. Delegations from Israel and Hamas have been in Qatar since Sunday in a renewed push for an agreement, after US President Donald Trump said last week he had hope that a new US-backed proposal could lead to a deal. Trump met on Monday evening with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who floated plans - vehemently opposed by all major Palestinian groups - for some of Gaza's residents to be relocated abroad. The Israeli leader also presented Trump with a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. A Qatari spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, said on Tuesday that Qatari and Egyptian mediators were not yet discussing a final ceasefire deal, but still seeking agreement on a framework of principles that would lead to more detailed talks. "Talks have not begun as of yet, but we are talking to both sides over that framework," Al Ansari said. "Both parties are still in Doha. So that's always a good sign." Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who played a major role in crafting the latest ceasefire proposal, will travel to Doha this week to join discussions there, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday. The proposal envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely. There was no immediate fresh readout on the talks from Hamas or Palestinian sources on Tuesday. Palestinian sources had said on Monday that progress had been held up by Israel's limits on allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israeli minister Zeev Elkin, who sits in Netanyahu's security cabinet, said that there was "a substantial chance" a ceasefire would be agreed. "Hamas wants to change a few central matters, it's not simple, but there is progress," he told Israel's public broadcaster Kan on Tuesday. Senior Israeli officials briefing journalists in Washington said it may take more than a few days to finalise agreements in Doha. Another Israeli official said progress had been made. In Gaza City, children walked through debris, where residents said an Israeli airstrike had hit overnight, with children among the casualties. The Israeli military did not immediately provide details on the target of the strike. "We hope that a ceasefire will be reached and that the massacres against the Palestinian people will stop," said Mohammed Joundiya, standing in the rubble left in the aftermath of the attack. At Israel's parliament in Jerusalem, former hostage Keith Siegel, who was released in February in a previous ceasefire, described the anguish of those held incommunicado for hundreds of days in Hamas captivity. "We have a window of opportunity to save lives," he said, "every minute is critical." Hamas has long demanded an end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would not agree to end the fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to still be alive. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing around 1200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. Israel's subsequent campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, displaced almost the entire population of more than two million people, sparked a humanitarian crisis in the enclave and left much of the territory in ruins.
