Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called on SA Premier to shut down October 7 pro-Palestinian protests

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called on Peter Malinauskas to show leadership and stop pro-Palestinian protests planned for October 7 in Adelaide.

• Protesters warned over anti-Israel rally

Premier Peter Malinauskas has been challenged to show leadership by federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, to “do all he can” to stop a pro-Palestinian protest outside state parliament on October 7.

Backing calls for an urgent court order to stop anti-Jewish protests across the long weekend, Mr Dutton praised the NSW police’s court bid to halt an October 7 protest in Sydney.

“The fact that anti-Jewish protests are being considered and organised on the day when the Jewish community will be commemorating the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust is an utterly sickening and vile reflection on these protesters. How low will they stoop?”, Mr Dutton told The Advertiser.

“I agree with calls for an urgent court order to stop these protests from happening on these particular days. To the credit of Premier Minns in New South Wales, the NSW police force is making an application to the court to stop such a protest from occurring on Monday.

“If there is a will, there is a way, and political leaders across the country should show leadership – not give a green light to protests that glorify hate.

“Premier Malinauskas has shown leadership on many of these national issues and he should do all he can to ensure the planned protest on October 7 at the South Australian state parliament does not go ahead.”

Peter Dutton called on Premier Peter Malinauskas to show leadership and shut down the October 7 pro-Palestinian protests. Picture: Sky News

Earlier on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong insisted pro-Palestinian protests in Adelaide on October 7 should not go ahead to respect people grieving on the anniversary of Hamas terror attacks.

The South Australian Senator declared October 7 was “not an occasion for protest” to mark the “greatest loss of Jewish lives in a single day since the Holocaust”.

Insisting the first anniversary of murderous terror attacks and kidnapping of Israeli people was a solemn occasion to honour with respect, Senator Wong said Monday should be a day of grieving and remembrance.

Asked about a 15-hour demonstration at Adelaide’s Parliament House on October 7, Senator Wong said this was a matter for state authorities but urged respect for people grieving lives lost in the Hamas attacks.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has insisted pro-Palestinian protests in Adelaide on October 7 should not go ahead. Picture: Timothy Clary/AFP

“We are blessed to have people from all over the world and part of how we have ensured that we are a cohesive society is we’ve respected one another – and this is about respect,” she said.

“Whatever their views are about what has happened over this last year, people should respect those who are grieving the loss of life on that horrific day. And I think it would be the right thing for people to respect that.”

Speaking on FIVEAA radio, Premier Peter Malinauskas said he did not have the power to stop the protest but strongly condemned the October 7 plans.

“As a matter of law … only the police commissioner has the power to stop a protest under the Public Assemblies Act,” he said.

“The Police Commissioner has the power to stop a protest if there is reason to believe that there is a threat to the rule of law whether it means through violent means or otherwise and if anything occurs that suggests that would be the case then of course police have the powers to intervene.”

Mr Malinauskas said while he was unable to stop the protest, he was strong in condemning it saying he believed it should not go ahead.

“These protests are crazy … the people who are engaging in these protests on October 7, if they think they are winning over the hearts and minds of any reasonable, fair minded Australian, they are absolutely kidding themselves,” he said.

“I would call on them to exercise better judgement and not abuse the privileges that are afforded to them in a liberal democracy by seeking to offend others but rather show a degree of human empathy towards another community that was so grossly adversely affected as a result of terrorism.”

However, Mr Malinauskas firmly supported the rights of the community to protest.

“You don’t want to live in a country or society where politicians are choosing what protests they like and they don’t like,” he said.

“In Australia we live in a liberal democracy, people have the right to protest – I might think that protest is stupid, I might think it shouldn’t go ahead – and that is certainly my view – but a Premier saying ‘I’m going to stop a protest because I don’t like it’ sets a pretty dangerous precedent.”

It comes as SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said anyone who raised a Hezbollah flag or an image of the deceased leader of Hezbollah during a planned protest will face police action.

Mr Stevens told FIVEAA morning radio state-based legislation was clear; “any material that condones or supports, promotes a terrorist organisation or terrorism can be the subject of prosecution under state law”.

Senator Wong also condemned the flying of Hezbollah flags during protests in Sydney and Melbourne during the past weekend, saying this was “a terrorist organisation that no one should be supporting”.

“People need to understand what they are saying when they do that. They are promoting an organisation that is a terrorist organisation. That is not conducive to harmony in Australia, to social inclusion and social cohesion,” she said.

Originally published as Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called on SA Premier to shut down October 7 pro-Palestinian protests