Leaders call for tolerance and calm after violent clash in Caulfield outside synagogue

Police will increase patrols in Caulfield following Friday night’s nasty clash, as a Palestinian advocacy group apologised to the Jewish community for hosting a protest near a synagogue.

The state’s leaders have called for tolerance and calm after the violent clash between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups in Caulfield on Friday night.

The clash occurred near Princes Park after a synagogue was evacuated as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in a park across the road.

Rocks were allegedly thrown from some members of the protest, with police officers forced to use pepper spray to separate the two groups.

Premier Jacinta Allan described the scenes as “deeply distressing” and “unacceptable”.

“We shouldn’t let violence in the Middle East beget violence here on the streets of Melbourne,” Ms Allan said.

“There is absolutely no place for hatred, for violence, for incitement … for anti-Semitism or Islamophobia here in Melbourne and Victoria.”

“It’s unacceptable that local communities here feel it is unsafe to go to their places of worship, to feel unsafe in their local neighbourhoods.

“It’s unacceptable that last night this was the experience of Melbourne’s Jewish community.”

Premier Jacinta Allan speaks to the media after Remembrance Day commemorations at the Shine. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Ms Allan said Victoria Police will increase its presence in the local Caulfield community over the coming days.

“Anti-Semitism in every single form is unacceptable, equally, attacks on the Islamic community (are) unacceptable,” she said.

“Now is the time for us to come together and stand against that form of hatred – and stand together for what unites us, which is our great compassion, our great respect and our great multicultural community.”

The Premier said Victorians must also “work hard” to support one another as communities grieve the loss of loved ones in the Gaza-Israel conflict.

“Melbourne and Victoria is a place where people from around the globe, people from all corners of the world choose to come and live,” she said.

“They know it is a place where they can practice their faith, they can celebrate their culture, amongst a community that welcomes this, that supports this and respects this.

“This is something precious that we have here in Melbourne and Victoria.”

Protesters outside the Caulfield South synagogue.

Victoria Police confirmed the “additional patrols” in Caulfield.

“Police have been in talks and are currently working alongside community groups,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“Our priority at these events is to keep the peace and ensure the event is safe for those attending and the broader community.

“While individuals have the right to protest lawfully, we strongly encourage those attending to protest peacefully and without impacting the broader community.”

What other leaders had to say

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“To maintain the harmony and respect that unites us. It is always worth repeating: there is no place in our nation for hatred or prejudice of any kind.”

Federal Opposition Leader Petter Dutton

“The behaviour we saw last night in Caulfield by individuals proactively protesting in an area home to many people in the Jewish faith was absolutely disgusting. It was a deliberate act of incitement to designed to end in violence, And predictably it did. These scenes have no place in our country and should be totally and utterly condemned.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong

“There is no place for violence, no place for anti-Semitism and no place for Islamophobia in Australia. People come to Australia because they want to live in a country that is peaceful, tolerant and respectful. The violence in Caulfield is unacceptable.”

Anti-Defamation Commission Chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich

“This deliberate and terrifying outburst of anti-Semitism and violence that took place is a warning sign that things are spiralling out of control, and I am concerned that this will turn deadly. I have never seen such a chilling explosion of physical and verbal aggression and this storm of anti-Jewish hostility is showing no signs of abating. There are destructive forces tearing at the seams of our society and it is no surprise that we are feeling on edge and threatened.”

State Governor Margaret Gardner

“Victoria is a place of many people and many voices. We have a long and proud history of listening to the diverse experiences of these voices and growing stronger together as a community. But the peaceful and secure future of our community is only achievable when we approach differences among us with understanding and reason, not anger. Violence is never acceptable as a way to advance differences of view.”

City of Glen Eira Mayor Jim Magee

“We understand that the conflict in Israel and Gaza has aroused strong emotions for many in our community, and we recognise that the right to peacefully demonstrate is an important facet of our democracy. Nevertheless, we are very proud that Glen Eira is the centre of Jewish life in Victoria, and we expect that our Jewish community will be free to go about their daily lives without fear or intimidation. In particular, all people in Glen Eira, and the rest of Victoria and Australia, must be free to practise their religion without fearing for their own safety, regardless of their religion or denomination.”

Federal MP for Macnamara Josh Burns

“(Friday’s) scenes in Caulfield were distressing and unacceptable. People have a right to protest the actions of nation states, but deliberately coming to the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish “Community on the night of worship as families were gathering for prayer, to intimidate and incite violence cannot be tolerated.”

State MP for Malvern Michael O’Brien

“Things I never thought I would see in my Melbourne. I stand with our Jewish community. Every Victorian has the right to safety and to be free from harassment on account of their faith.”

Apology for protest

Free Palestine Melbourne apologised on Saturday for holding its protest near the Caulfield synagogue which resulted in its evacuation.

Police officers were forced to pepper spray pro-Palestinian protesters in the ugly clash with Melbourne’s Jewish community in Caulfield, which saw the Maple St synagogue evacuated and several people arrested.

“Organisers were unaware that there was a synagogue across the park, the Central Shule Chabad on Maple St, South Caulfield,” the Free Palestine Melbourne statement said.

“We apologise to the local Jewish community for the protest location that led to the evacuation of the synagogue, for any fear they may have felt and for the cancellation of Shabbat.

“We should not have gathered at this location.

“It was never our intention to disrupt or intimidate Jewish worshippers.”

The Burgertory store in Caulfield went up in flames on Friday. Picture: Supplied

Burgertory was burnt down on Friday, which triggered the protest. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The group said the intention of its protest was to show solidarity with Burgertory chief executive Hash Tayeh whose Caulfield South store was set alight in an alleged arson attack on Friday morning.

“Hash Tayeh and all Palestinians have every right to expect that they are free to live and work without racism or hatred,” the statement said.

“Burgertory must have the right to feel safe not just in Caulfield but anywhere in Melbourne and Australia.

“This human right must be afforded to all businesses and workers in Caulfield but especially those from diverse backgrounds.

“Demonstrators reiterate that the arson attack on Burgertory was a hate crime.”

But Victoria Police on Saturday afternoon said the fire, which completely destroyed the business, did not “appear to be racially motivated”.

However, it was being treated as suspicious.

Meanwhile, religious leaders are calling for calm after the ugly face-off between the two communities.

Muslim leader Mo Elrafihi, chief executive of the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, unequivocally condemned “all acts of violence and hate speech that we saw”.

“There’s no place for such behaviour in our society, not now or ever,” he said.

“International events should not undermine the social cohesion and harmony that define Victoria’s multicultural communities.

“Victoria is a state where our diversity is celebrated as our greatest strength.”

Mo Elrafihi, chief executive of the ECCV, condemned all acts of violence. Picture: ECCV

Zionism Victoria president Yossi Goldfarb said it was “deeply distressing and disturbing” that demonstrators came to Caulfield on Shabbat “spurred on by malicious and baseless rumours about who is responsible for the fire at Burgertory”.

“How have we reached a situation in multicultural Melbourne that Jews are unable to attend prayer services at their synagogues on a Friday night or that members of our community should face taunts and abuse on the streets where they live?” he said.

Mr Goldfarb said he “vociferously condemns any and all acts of violence against persons or property, and any and all acts of incitement”.

The inside of the Burgertory store in Caulfield. Picture: Instagram

President of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Adel Salman, condemned the violent scenes observed at Caulfield on Friday night and called for calm on both sides.

“We don’t want any violence and we’re very clear about there being no room for any hate or violence,” he told the Herald Sun.

“We strongly encourage peaceful protests but don’t want anyone to take matters into their own hands.”

Mr Salman, who noted the “abuse (was) flowing both ways”, said the protests would continue.

“People will continue to show solidarity with the Palestinian people until there’s a resolution,” he said.

He backed Victoria Police’s actions and use of force but said he believed more separation between the two groups could prevented the tense clash.

“The police need to take extra precautions to separate the two groups. If there was more separation there’d be less risk of an altercation taking place,” he added.

Mr Salman explained the council is in regular contact with the force and are “upfront and clear” with their intentions, particularly in regards to protests.

Police pepper sprayed protesters on Friday night. Credit: Rukshan Fernando, @therealrukshan/Twitter

There were ugly scenes in Friday night as tensions reached boiling point.

Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich, said Friday’s clash at Caulfield was a “dark day for the Jewish community”.

“This deliberate and terrifying outburst of anti-Semitism and violence that took place is a warning sign that things are spiralling out of control, and I am concerned that this will turn deadly,” he said.

“I have never seen such a chilling explosion of physical and verbal aggression and this storm of anti-Jewish hostility is showing no signs of abating.

“Even Holocaust survivors, who have endured the worst of humanity have declared that they never thought they would see such a historic escalation in their lifetime.”

Dr Dvir Abramovich fears the violence in Melbourne could turn deadly. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Abramovich said his community was reeling as he called on the state government and police force to protect Melbourne’s Jewish community.

“The sickening reality is that we are getting very close to a point where many young Australians will be hiding their Jewishness, knowing that this may lead to them being viciously attacked,” he added.

“The Victorian government and police have to be rock solid in pushing back against this evil and ensure that the Jewish community is safe and secure and prosecute the perpetrators to the full extent of the law.”

War memorial defaced with ‘Free Gaza’ text

A war memorial in Melbourne’s outer east was desecrated by pro-Palestinian activists on Friday night hours before the community marked Remembrance Day.

As locals prepared to honour veterans and their families, the Montrose War Memorial was vandalised by activists, who painted “ceasefire”, “stop the genocide in Gaza” and “free Palestine” across the monument.

The Montrose War Memorial was vandalised. Picture: Supplied

“Shame Israel, USA, UK and Australia,” was also graffitied on the ground below and red paint was smeared below the words “to honour the brave”.

Yarra Ranges Council workers rushed to scrub the graffiti and paint off the memorial pillar early on Saturday, before veterans in the area arrived for the annual service.

The graffiti was swiftly removed. Picture: Supplied

Liberal MP for Evelyn Bridget Vallence said the attack was “despicable” and “shameful”.

“On Remembrance Day we pay tribute to those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice so we could enjoy freedom,” she said.

“We cannot allow conflict in the Middle East to bring this kind of hatred and toxicity to our local communities.

“Anyone who seeks to damage or insult and history of our service men and women should face very serious consequences.”

Federal Liberal MP for Casey Aaron Violi said the indecent act was an “insult to all our veterans and the community volunteers who dedicated so much time and effort to restoring the memorial”.

“Vandalism has no place in Australia.”