Demonstrators mourn slain Hezbollah leader at protests in Sydney and Melbourne

Protesters labelled Israel a “terror state” and held placards mourning the death of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a large demonstration at Sydney’s Town Hall.

Amid escalating Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon that have prompted international calls for an immediate ceasefire – including from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – thousands of protesters in Sydney on Sunday joined demonstrations in Melbourne and other cities around the world in renewed opposition to Israel’s bombing campaign.

A demonstrator holds an image of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a protest in Sydney on Sunday.Credit: Isabelle Dellerba

Many of those attending the protest in Sydney held placards that mourned Nasrallah’s death, while there were reports of some waving the Hezbollah flag at demonstrations in Melbourne.

A divisive figure in the West and in the Middle East, Nasrallah led the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia for more than three decades before he was assassinated by Israel in an airstrike on Beirut that destroyed four residential buildings over the weekend. Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.

The renewed protests in Sydney followed a dramatic escalation in the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke said “any indication of support for a terrorist organisation is unequivocally condemned.

“It draws the immediate attention of our security agencies. There is a higher level of scrutiny if anyone is on a visa. I have made clear from day one that I will consider refusing and cancelling visas for anyone who seeks to incite discord in Australia.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said while he understood the concern demonstrators had about the conflict in the Middle East, he said people “should not be importing conflict or radical ideologies from the region into our society”.

“No one wants to see a further escalation, or the loss of innocent civilian lives,” he said.

“Our state has shown great resilience as a multicultural society throughout these times of conflict, but our social cohesion is not something we can afford to be taken for granted.”

A protester with a photo of Nasrallah during a pro-Palestine rally for Gaza and Lebanon at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne on Sunday.Credit: AAP

Liberal Party senator James Paterson said it was “disturbing to see symbols of a listed terrorist organisation, Hezbollah, prominently displayed on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney today”.

“This is a clear contravention of 80.2HA of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. It’s time for police to enforce the law,” he wrote on social media, referring to an offence related to the display of symbols associated with terrorist organisations.

Nasrallah’s death was confirmed on Saturday following a string of bombings carried out by Israel, mostly in the south of Lebanon. Israel has said its bombing campaign has been focused on Hezbollah targets.

However, Lebanon’s minister of health said the total number of people killed by Israeli strikes in the country since a parallel conflict between Israel and Lebanon broke out on October 8 last year is now 1670, including 33 children.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Sunday repeated the federal government’s call for a ceasefire.

“The continued retribution … will not bring peace and it will not bring security,” she told Sky News.

Protesters gatecrashed a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne on Sunday and may now be referred to the Australian Federal Police.

The group was comfortably outnumbered by the peaceful protesters, who were continuing calls to end the violence that has surged in the region over the past year.

A Hezbollah flag is seen during the pro-Palestine rally for Gaza and Lebanon at the State Library of Victoria.Credit: AAP

The rally in Melbourne formed part of a national day of action for Gaza. A small group was seen waving the yellow and green Hezbollah flag, which depicts a hand reaching up, gripping a Kalashnikov assault rifle, as the speeches ended at the Melbourne events and people began to march.

Others were holding what appeared to be framed photographs of Nasrallah.

With James Massola, Roy Ward and AAP

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