Anne Meets the Friends

Australia’s Friends of Palestine are apparently no friends of Labor minister Anne Aly.

Labor’s Anne Aly wasn’t feeling the friendliness in WA

The Australian reports:

Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly – the nation’s first Muslim minister – was involved in a heated confrontation with Friends of Palestine activists during a “meet your member” event at a suburban Perth park on the weekend.

At least our local Palestine Pals get to meet their representatives. Voters in Gaza would have to drag themselves all the way to Qatar.

Plain-clothed Australian Federal Police officers had to intervene to shut down the event as tensions between Dr Aly and the activists rose.

Remember when the Prime Minister told us that “leaders have a responsibility to unite the country, not divide it”? How’s that going, Albo?

As Dr Aly left the scene, activists could be heard calling her a “coward” and one woman shouted “don’t call yourself a Muslim”. Chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” broke out as Dr Aly was ushered away.

“River to the sea” means erasing Israel. It’s game over as soon as those words are used.

The interaction began harmlessly, with a man introducing himself as a student studying early childhood education. But Dr Aly quickly became visibly uncomfortable as the man began talking about the impact of Australia’s decision to pause funding to the United Nations agency in Gaza, UNRWA.

Sensible people are more concerned about the impact of Penny Wong’s unpausing.

At one point Dr Aly moved to push away a picture of a starving Palestinian boy. Later, she had to be held back by her husband Dave Allen and a staff member from re-engaging with the activists.

Her husband is Dave Allen? That changes everything. Let the debate continue, I say.

During the confrontation, Dr Aly referred to how her father had fought for Egypt against Israel during the Six Day War of 1967.

“My father fought in the war. And what have you done?” she told one of the protesters.

This isn’t quite the proud boast that Aly thinks it is.

She said those wanting to see a resolution to the conflict had to give up on the “dream” that Israel would spontaneously lay down its weapons without a negotiated truce.

Aly went very dark very quickly. An unguarded Israel would deliver a sequence of October 7 slaughters until nobody besides Hamas animals remained.

“I would love a ceasefire to happen. We would all agree on that, correct?”

Both Aly and the Friends should demand a ceasefire from Hamas and the liberation of all captives. That’s a starting point.

UPDATE:

Remember, Egypt has sealed its border from the Palestinians with razor wire. But do go on... https://t.co/EQA39CDmx8

— Ragnar Danneskjold (@FreeDanneskjold) March 19, 2024

UPDATE II. The Friends turn up (and get turfed out) in NSW:

Police were called to end a protest against the Israel-Gaza war which briefly shut down NSW Parliament on Wednesday.

A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters was booted from Parliament’s public gallery after interrupting question time with shouts of “shame on you Australia” and “shame on you Chris Minns”.

The group called for the Australian government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“F**k you Chris Minns,” one protester chanted.

Not sure that NSW Premier Minns has any ceasefire authority over the Middle East, but there you go. 

The protesters unfurled a banner which read “end the occupation, free Palestine”.

“There is an immediate threat and the immediate threat is in Gaza,” one protester shouted.

This protester is 100 per cent correct. An immediate threat definitely is in Gaza. It's called Hamas.

Greens MP Jenny Leong congratulated the protesters ...

Of course she did. Squidly Jenny is dumb even by cephalopod standards.

UPDATE III. The Friends are out and about in Adelaide:

High school and university pro-Palestine protesters marched through Adelaide’s CBD on Thursday, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza ...

“Yay for Palestine” is the 2024 version of Australian global warming protests. Look at a previous Adelaide demonstration. Just two men are visible: sheepish mask guy on the right and someone in the centre background who looks like a 1970s VFL player. These are girly shows.  

The protesters chanted and carried signs with the infamous slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a message widely considered to be anti-Semitic and referring to the eradication of Jews and the state of Israel.

That’s exactly what it refers to.

Students approached by The Advertiser would not comment, instead deferring to the group’s spokeswoman Briana Symonds-Manne.

Adelaide name! Adelaide name! Adelaide name!

She denied this was the message, saying there was no ill intent towards Jewish people. “I think ‘from the river to the sea’ slogan has no genocidal intent whatsoever,” she said.

Briana Symonds-Manne is Not Very-Bright.