Rita Panahi: Melbourne’s Jewish community is entitled to feel betrayed by Allan government

Jacinta Allan and Victoria Police command have done jack all to stop the regular anti-Israel rallies in the past year, but it was a different story when Victorians were protesting the state’s draconian Covid-era policies.

Melbourne’s Jewish community is entitled to feel betrayed by the Jacinta Allan government for its pitifully weak response to Leftist agitators planning a mass anti-Israeli protest on October 7.

It takes a special brand of cruelty to use the first anniversary of the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust to protest against the only Jewish state.

The usual suspects who have disgraced themselves over the past 12 months plan to begin their protest on Monday near the Shrine of Remembrance, at the Marquis of Linlithgow Memorial, before marching through the city to Parliament House.

Instead of using October 7 to condemn the horrific barbarity of Hamas – the indiscriminate torture and slaughter of more than a 1000 Israelis and the kidnapping of hundreds more in terrorist attacks that saw the region plunged into war – the activist class want to blame Israel. And, there’s every chance that the Melbourne protest will again see some waving the flag of recognised terror group, Hezbollah.

In NSW, where protesters must obtain a permit, wiser heads appear to have prevailed with the activists abandoning their plans for an October 7 rally after NSW Police lodged an application with the Supreme Court to stop the event.

Melbourne’s Jewish community is entitled to feel betrayed by the Jacinta Allan government. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake

But Premier Jacinta Allan, and the heavily politicised Victoria Police command, are apparently powerless to do anything about the Melbourne protest.

They have done jack all to stop the regular anti-Israel rallies that have caused widespread disruption in the past year, even when they block roads and blatantly break the law, including displaying terror flags, vandalising property and acts of violence.

Of course it was a different story when Victorians were protesting the state’s draconian Covid-era policies.

Victorians upset about their lives and livelihoods being destroyed by forced business and school closures, curfews and Covid vaccine mandates were called “batshit crazy” by Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius, who became Vic Pol’s own Chief Wiggum minus the charm. Cornelius had defended the right of race-baiting BLM protesters to march during the height of Covid.

“We absolutely understand the sentiment and the anger that lies behind that and we are very keen to support the community in giving a voice to their concerns,” he said in June 2020.

Protesters are set to march through the city on Monday. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The anti-lockdown protests, no matter how peaceful, were crushed mercilessly.

And it wasn’t just those marching on the streets; old ladies sitting on park benches were harassed, as were beach goers for the “crime” of being unmasked outdoors and who can forget a pregnant mum being handcuffed in her kitchen for Facebook posts.

In Victoria the Leftist activist class is emboldened, whether its climate change zealots, anti-Australia Day or anti-Israeli activists; and the crossover between these groups is significant. Thus far they have not been persuaded to abandon the October 7 plans.

The Free Palestine Coalition Naarm (sic) claims the date marks the beginning of “a year-long attempted annihilation of Gaza”.

Islamic Council of Victoria president Adel Salman defended the planned protest telling the Herald Sun: “Holding a vigil on October 7th for the more than 40,000 lives lost in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza is needed for the community to come together to share its deep grief and anguish and to remember and honour the victims.”

Free Palestine Coalition spokeswoman Tasnim Sammak claimed on 3AW that it was Israel that began the war on October 7.

Islamic Council of Victoria President Adel Salman. Picture: Facebook / Islamic Council of Victoria

“The Gaza genocide that began on October 7, that’s when the first bomb dropped over Gaza as part of this offensive that Israel began,” she said.

“We didn’t expect it to last for a year, Israel should have accepted a ceasefire and negotiated a ceasefire.”

She called the criticism of the protest “divisive” and said members of the Jewish community will attend the event.

“A whole year of war crimes, breaches of international law, breaches of the Geneva Convention and the disrespect of the UN by Zionist leaders,” she said before praising Penny Wong’s calls for a ceasefire and condemning Peter Dutton for “his smears on Palestinians.”

Of course if Israel wanted to “annihilate Gaza” as the Free Palestine Coalition claims it could do so, and within minutes, but it has tried to minimise civilian casualties in its attempts to eliminate Hamas.

Meanwhile, Hamas has done its utmost to maximise Palestinian casualties knowing useful idiots in the West will blame Israel, not Hamas for hiding among civilians.

It’s worth noting that the protests we see, week in, week out, do not condemn Hamas, only Israel.

If you want to free Palestine, then start by freeing it from the murderous butchers of Hamas.

Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist