Four Greens MPs took to their feet to hold up signs which read: ‘Vic Labor Stop Arming Israel’
The Greens MPs that were thrown out of parliament as part of a pro-Palestine protest have apologised, while the Coalition slammed the stunt as a safety concern.
Victoria
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The four Victorian Greens MPs who performed a pro-Palestine stunt have apologised to the parliament, but the Coalition has threatened to take further action.
The apology was only delivered by Melbourne MP Ellen Sandell on behalf of her colleagues Gabrielle de Vietri, Sam Hibbins and Tim Read.
Despite calls from the parliament for individual apologies, Speaker Maree Edwards said she accepted the apology.
The Coalition has now moved a “motion of dissent” in Ms Edwards’ decision.
“Greens MPs have repeatedly behaved in a way not befitting the Parliament and caused a safety risk,” manager of opposition business James Newbury said.
“Today only one apologised and it wasn’t the member who has repeatedly behaved inappropriately.”
On Wednesday, all four Greens MPs in the lower house were booted from the parliament after they held up signs that accused the Victorian government of “arming Israel”.
During a fiery Question Time on Wednesday, Greens MP Gabrielle de Vietri asked whether the government would cancel Labor’s deal with the Israeli Defence Ministry.
The Victorian government signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel’s Ministry of Defence in 2022.
The government has said that non-binding document aims to identify projects that could deliver manufacturing capabilities and local jobs.
Ms de Vietri claimed that without walking away from that deal, the government risked being “complicit in genocide”.
Outside parliament on Thursday, Premier Jacinta Allan said the behaviour was “disgraceful”.
“I have sat in the parliament for 24 and a half years and I have never, ever seen elected officials behave in such a disgraceful, childish way,” she said.
“Sadly the Member for Richmond, there is a pattern of behaviour here. The Greens political party needs to stop these childish stunts, put these disgraceful acts aside and get on with the job of representing the community.”
Ms de Vietri on Wednesday said: “Now I appreciate the Premier’s trying to downplay our involvement as a state in the potential genocide that Israel is carrying out in Palestine but right now an estimate 100,000 Palestinians are either killed, wounded or missing at the hands of the Israel military. The ICJ (International Court of Justice) ruling has made it very clear that governments, all governments, have a duty to prevent genocide in Palestine. In light of this ruling, and the risk of Victoria being complicit in genocide through this agreement, will the Premier cancel Labor’s deal with the Israeli Ministry of Defence?”
After Ms de Vietri’s question, all four Greens MPs stood up and held signs which read: “Vic Labor Stop Arming Israel”.
They were immediately thrown out of the chamber for 90 minutes and received jeers and criticism from other MPs.
The Premier slammed the action on Wednesday and said it is not the first that Ms de Vietri had pulled stunts in the parliament.
“We have seen a repeated pattern of behaviour from the Member for Richmond who has signed in visitors who disrupted Parliament during Question Time … it made me feel unsafe,” she said.
“Quite frankly, the Victorian community deserves better than this. I condemn that behaviour. It is unparliamentary but worse than that is disrespectful to the Victorian community, and particularly the Jewish and Islamic communities who are grieving for the death and loss of their families and loved ones.”
Ms Allan accused Ms de Vietri of misrepresenting international conflicts for political gain.
“Let me be absolutely clear, our role in this place is to provide support for people in our community who are hurting. The Member for Richmond yesterday was pretty quick to talk about a safe workplace and how she feels in this workplace. Well, have a think about people in our community who look to us for leadership and who look to us to provide safe and secure communities and not use words and actions like the Member for Richmond has done to further divide because that is all you achieve from this sort of behaviour,” she said.
Speaker Maree Edwards said she would request an apology from the Greens MPs on Wednesday afternoon.
“If I do not receive that apology, there will be further matters to proceed with,” she said.
Opposition leader John Pesutto called on Ms Edwards to get the Greens MP to undertake a pledge that they would not repeat any similar stunts.
“It’s clear that what was done today was not only an affront to the decorum of this place … but it was premeditated. They knew what they were intending to do. They knew and intended to cause mayhem. It’s not the first time,” he said.
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said it was the job of every elected representative to publicly question the MOU.
“We thank the Greens for doing their job and asking those questions. Every member of our community should find it deeply troubling that that question wasn’t answered today,” he said.
“For the holding up of a few signs in parliament to have generated more outrage than the death of almost 15,000 Palestinian children or the Victorian Government’s cooperation with a genocidal foreign power really does raise serious concerns about the priorities and principles of the Victorian government.”
Zionism Victoria executive director Zeddy Lawrence said: “If Ms de Vietri and her Green comrades are struggling to behave with the decorum we expect of our parliamentarians, I dare say they will be more than welcomed into the hallowed halls of West Bank and Gaza democracy where bullets rather than ballots dictate who holds power and where their anti-Israel agenda will certainly be applauded.”
Ex-Greens senator weighs in on Palestine
Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe has caused a ruckus in the federal parliament, yelling “free Palestine” and allegedly making remarks about genocide.
The pro-Palestine supporter turned heads as she walked past attendees at the building’s popular coffee shop yelling on Wednesday.
The Herald Sun understands the incident occurred after she collected a Palestinian flag and other paraphernalia that had been confiscated from visitors to the building.
Senator Thorpe has been using her platform to fight for Palestinians since the Israel-Gaza war began.
She has addressed pro-Palestine rallies in Melbourne and was a leader in demanding the Albanese government cut all ties with Israel at Invasion Day events.
Originally published as Four Greens MPs took to their feet to hold up signs which read: ‘Vic Labor Stop Arming Israel’
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