Hezbollah-themed flag ‘not an offence’, police arrest man for displaying swastika

Police charged one man from Sydney for allegedly displaying a Nazi swastika at Sunday’s pro-Palestine rally, with officers praising the conduct of the overwhelming majority of the 10,000 they estimated turned out to march.

The rally had been marked by controversy in the lead-up, with police attempting to block the demonstration in the NSW Supreme Court, citing public safety fears.

That challenge was eventually dropped, with officers allowing the march to proceed with an alternate route to avoid a large synagogue, and after protest organisers agreed to discourage protesters from displaying the flag of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

But despite the controversy surrounding the event, it largely went ahead without incident. A 56-year-old man was arrested for allegedly displaying a Nazi symbol in the colours of an Israeli flag. He was charged under NSW legislation outlawing insignia associated with Hitler’s regime.

“It is a stand-alone offence of displaying a Nazi symbol in a public place,” Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said.

Police are not expecting to lay any further charges, he said.

Dozens of protesters held green and gold flags, the colours associated with Hezbollah. One person was seen holding a yellow and green flag showing Ned Kelly clutching a rifle. It read “our boys in green and gold will win”.

A flag in Hezbollah colours at the protest on Sunday.Credit: Janie Barrett

“The legal advice we’ve received at the moment is that that would not fulfil an offence,” said McKenna.

Others in the crowd carried photographs of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Organisers claimed the publicity leading up to the protest had only driven a larger crowd.

Amal Nasser, one of the leaders of the group which orchestrated the event, said Sunday’s protest had been a “record” after a year of similar demonstrations condemning Israel and calling for a free Palestine. Lizzie Jarrett, an Indigenous activist who also spoke at the event said: “Thanks to NSW Police for making us f---ing relevant”.

The crowd in the Sydney CBD on Sunday.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

NSW Premier Chris Minns had been vocal in his criticism of the protests in the lead-up, saying he backed police in opposing Sunday’s march and arguing a vigil planned for Monday, the first anniversary of the Hamas invasion of Israel, was “grossly insensitive”.

Despite that, one of his government MPs, Anthony D’Adam, attended Sunday’s march and criticised police for attempting to block the demonstration, saying community harmony would not be achieved by telling people to “hide their grief”.

D’Adam, an outspoken critic of Israel during the conflict in Gaza, who in May was sacked as a parliamentary secretary for criticising the police over their conduct at some of the protests in Sydney, said he had not been deterred from attending the rally on Sunday despite criticism of the event levelled by Minns.

“I think people lost sight of, or they chose to ignore, the pressing issue, which is the ongoing war,” D’Adam said of the push to ban Sunday’s protest. He noted, however, that he would not be attending Monday’s controversial vigil.

“We talk about community harmony. You don’t achieve community harmony by saying to one segment of the community you have to hide your grief, you have to retreat from the public space,” he said.

Federal Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi was also in attendance.

Rafah Chalabi, from Granville in Sydney’s west, marched with four generations of her family, including her parents who migrated to Australia from Palestine in 1948. She said she had been at the protest almost every weekend for a year.

(From left) Sheda Hajaj, Rafah Chalabi, Nayef Hajaj, Siham Hajaj and other members of their family.Credit: Janie Barrett

“This is not an anti-Jewish protest. This is an anti-genocide protest,” she said.

Last week’s protest had been marred by the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag by a 19-year-old from Sydney, who is now before the courts. Many at last week’s demonstration also held up portraits of the militant group’s slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Federal legislation prohibits the display of iconography linked to terror groups with the intention of citing violence or hatred. Earlier, McKenna had said holding portraits of Nasrallah would not breach that legislation. But, he said, “there is a view that in certain circumstances it could be seen as offensive”.

Still, NSW Police had displayed signs in English and Arabic in Hyde Park warning people about signage.

“The Hezbollah flag, symbols and portraits of Hassan Nasrallah should not be displayed at the public assembly as this may amount to a criminal offence,” read the projected sign at Hyde Park.

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