Kooyong Jewish community debate: Monique Ryan, Amelia Hamer go head to head

A group of people have donned T-shirts taking aim at the Teal independent MP at a Jewish community debate.

Security has been beefed up for a Jewish community election showdown between Teal independent MP Monique Ryan and Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer after wild scenes broke out at a separate Kooyong debate.

The rivals went head to head in front of hundreds of Jewish community members on Thursday night, with barbs traded over anti-Semitism, Israel and cultural and religious community tensions.

A group of conservative campaigners wearing “Repeal the Teal” T-shirts were among hundreds of Jewish community members to pour into the event on Thursday night.

Dr Ryan said she supported bringing in Palestinians from Gaza, calling visa processing for Gazans “extremely stringent”.

Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer. Picture: Instagram

Incumbent Monique Ryan. Picture: Nadir Kinani

Ms Hamer, however, said 2,601 Palestinians had entered Australia on tourist visas.

“The proper checks were not done and they were actually those people were referred to ASIO and flagged,” she said.

Dr Ryan said while a dad who repeatedly attacked her office with his kids was an “absolute moron”, he shouldn’t be jailed, as she defended her opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing.

She also sought to distance herself from the Greens, saying “we are not in any way, shape or form aligned” and that there would be “no situation” in which she would negotiate with them.

“They are not a potential party of government, and so there would be no situation in which I would need to negotiate with them,” she said.

Making a joke about a clash between an older lady and a white nationalist at Wednesday night forum, Dr Ryan said: “I’ve worked out you never get between an old lady and her ABC – gets ugly very quickly.”

Ms Hamer said antisemitism was so out of hand that the large Chinese community in the seat were asking “will they be next?”

While the seat is not home to as many Jews as Macnamara, encompassing Caulfield and Balaclava, or the suburbs of Brighton and Elwood in Goldstein, a recent redistribution – following the abolition of Higgins – has captured thousands more Jews in Kooyong’s boundaries.

According to recent data, the number of Jews living in the electorate – which stretches from Prahran to Malvern and up to Kooyong – has quadrupled since the 2022 election from 1200 to more than 4800.

The debate comes after an older woman punched a far-right agitator in the face after he gatecrashed another candidates’ forum in Kew on Wednesday night, prompting Ms Ryan to intervene.

The man, Matt Trihey from the National Workers Alliance, marched into the event demanding to know what the candidates would do to curb rising crime “caused” by immigration.

A woman hits Matt Trihey after he gatecrashes a candidates’ forum. Picture: TikTok

“How dare you do this,” a member of the audience yelled, prompting Mr Trihey to bite back.

“How dare they do this to our country,” he said.

“You are putting our people at risk.”

Ms Ryan was joined by Labor candidate Clive Crosby and Greens candidate Jackie Carter at the candidates forum to debate social media, news and the ABC.

Ms Hamer declined an offer to join the candidates.

Ahead of Thursday night’s Jewish community debate, Zionism Victoria President Elyse Schachna said security would be ramped up, with the community still on high alert following the largest spike in anti-Semitism in Victorian history.

The woman lashes out at Trihey at the candidates’ forum in Kew. Picture: TikTok

“It’s a shame that community debates now require more security than ever,” she said.

“This is, of course, nothing new to the Jewish Community who have had to increase security as Jew-hate continues to rise.

“We look forward to a day when the Jewish community can live freely without the need for security at every communal event and building.”

Dr Ryan, who has butted heads with members of the community since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, is expected to be grilled over her voting history on Israel and her perceived pro-Palestine stance.

In November 2023, Dr Ryan was sent a scathing letter by Bialik College principal Jeremy Stowe-Lindner for a Facebook post which only mentioned the suffering in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war began.