Display of terror support demands a strong response

Israel’s successful strike that killed terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah finally has pulled back the curtain on the support that exists for Hezbollah and Iran’s other malevolent anti-Semitic proxies in Australia. Following the repulsive celebrations at the Sydney Opera House by Hamas sympathisers in the wake of the October 7 terrorist raid in Israel last year, protests on Sunday in Australia’s two biggest cities were further confirmation of the anti-Semitic cancer that has been allowed to flourish beneath the surface in our tolerant multicultural society.

The Albanese government has been too slow to call it out and, by doing so, has risked unleashing a monster. Having seen the crowds waving Hezbollah flags and carrying framed pictures of Nasrallah through the city streets, the federal government cannot afford to miss another opportunity to act. It must clamp down hard. There was an outpouring of demands for action on Monday from the federal opposition and some teal independents who hold seats with large Jewish populations. But Anthony Albanese’s initial response was unconvincing and police unfortunately showed themselves to be too willing to hide behind the same prevarications that allowed the Sydney Opera House demonstrators to get away scot-free.

There is video evidence of more than a dozen masked and unmasked men walking together through Melbourne CBD streets on Sunday chanting “labayka ya Nasrallah”, which translates from Arabic as “at your service, Nasrallah” or “here I am, Nasrallah”. Many protesters were wearing Hezbollah emblems while waving the terror group’s flag, which features text that translates as “Hezbollah will be victorious”. Some were carrying pictures of Nasrallah in frames that read: “We belong to Allah and to him we shall return.” Other chants heard included “No more USA, no more Israel, no more Saudi Arabia”.

Given Hezbollah’s decades-long history of terror, anti-Semitic ideology and violence against Israel, public support for the proscribed terrorist organisation in Australia is beyond the pale. Peter Dutton was correct to remind everyone that Jewish schools were being patrolled by armed guards and people in the Jewish community were living in fear. He said glorification of a terrorist leader must be against the law and, if it’s not, the parliament should be recalled to pass a law that prohibited that from happening. The Prime Minister missed his opportunity to speak forcefully against the terrorist supporters. In comments made before a cabinet meeting on Monday, Mr Albanese described the protests as “worrying” and said “our multiculturalism and social cohesion cannot be taken for granted and it’s important that we continue to stress that that is the case as we go forward as well”. It followed comments by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke that he would cancel the visas of those involved. Mr Albanese has been exposed as weak and Mr Burke as deceptive given it is likely those protesting were Australian citizens. The more appropriate response is to call immediately for the prosecution of anyone guilty of publicly supporting terrorists.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said that in December last year the parliament voted unanimously to amend the federal Criminal Code to make it an offence to display a Nazi logo or symbol, or the symbol of a listed terrorist organisation, and that includes Hezbollah. Victoria Police said it had referred protesters who displayed the Hezbollah terrorist flag at the Melbourne rally on Sunday to the Australian Federal Police for investigation. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she expected security agencies to pursue those protesters who displayed the Hezbollah symbols last weekend.

NSW Police said several warnings had been issued to protesters at the demonstrations. But the AFP said the “mere public display of a prohibited symbol on its own does not meet the threshold of a commonwealth offence”. As pressure mounted on Monday, the AFP said it would consider prosecutions of at least six people for allegedly displaying prohibited terrorist symbols and participating in hateful chants.

Failure to get results would represent a complete failure on the part of the federal government and an all-too-familiar lack of conviction by police when it comes to protecting the community from radical elements within the Islamic community. The new laws were supposed to stop what was witnessed in relation to Hezbollah and Nasrallah. Those responsible must be put before the courts. If the laws are not tough enough, parliament must do its job and ensure they are changed and made fit for purpose.