Iranian ambassador, protesters reveal Labor weakness

Never before has there been such a moral, policing and political failure by an Australian government and its security forces in failing to counter the actions of terrorist sympathisers within our borders.

On the front page there is a report of the Iranian ambassador to Australia eulogising a terrorist leader (“Repugnant diplomacy”, 4/10). Next there is a story of an Iranian national freely chanting pro-Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi slogans and displaying terrorist symbols on the streets of Melbourne (“Iranian behind pro-Hezbollah rally”, 4/10). Finally, it is reported that NSW Police will allow an anti-Israel demonstration to proceed on the anniversary of the worst atrocity against Jewish people since the Holocaust (“Police drop bid to stop protest, vigil on October 7 to proceed”, 4/10). But it gets worse with a list of moral equivalences made by Labor government ministers, attempting to navigate not offending a constituency in certain electorates of Sydney and Melbourne as well as Greens voters.

All this while Anthony Albanese is bouncing between FM radio stations discussing his dietary regime and the NRL grand final. The only regime the Prime Minister should be focusing on is the evil Iranian regime. The Albanese government will be shown to be on the wrong side of history by its failure to support democracy over terrorism. Most Australians are ashamed of their government.

Riley Brown, Bondi Beach, NSW

Peter Dutton is absolutely correct to point out that the Iranian ambassador is a repeat offender for anti-Israel incendiary commentary. A couple of months ago Ahmad Sadeghi called for a “wiping out” of Israelis in Palestine by 2027, and referred to Israelis as a “Zionist plague”. At the time Dutton’s colleague, James Paterson, called for the government to declare Sadeghi persona non grata to enable his recall to Iran.

Sadeghi’s latest transgression, venerating assassinated Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah as a “blessed martyr” opposing “the vile entity of the Zionist regime”, indicates an Iranian activist unfit for office in our country. Indeed, for Sadeghi’s latest despicable spray, Dutton is spot-on to say the Iranian ambassador should be expelled. It’s not just tough talk from the alternative prime minister. You can bet if Dutton, an experienced deporter of unwelcome visitors to our shores, were in the Lodge Sadeghi’s bags would be packed and his boarding pass printed.

Mandy Macmillan, Singleton, NSW

Make no mistake, any pro-Palestinian demonstration held on October 7 is not a demonstration against the war but a celebration of a slaughter. I remember the scenes of jubilation in Gaza and on the steps of our own Sydney Opera House immediately after the atrocities of October 7. Showing such callous disrespect for the grief of one of this country’s most maligned minority groups should be condemned.

Russell James, Banora Point, NSW

The suggested “protests” on October 7, or even October 6 for that matter, should not go ahead. There is a world of difference between exercising a democratic right in favour of a cause and this event to celebrate one of the most barbaric terrorist attacks in our generation. Freedoms of speech are not indefinite. They do not protect hate crimes, racism or the violent persecution of innocent people. There are only a few positives that may result if such demonstrations go ahead. First, it will unmask those who enjoy the safety and freedom of Australia but who choose to promote hatred and anti-Semitism imported from conflicts overseas. Second, it will be a chance for the laws forbidding the display of terrorist symbols to be enforced, and for our political and civic leaders to defend the rights of the silent majority.

Andrew Weeks, Hawthorndene, SA

Here we go again, protesters displaying their utter contempt for Australia and everything it represents, yet seemingly enjoying the freedoms, opportunities and high standards of living that the fundamentals of Western civilisation have created for the country. It raises the question as to why such people bother living here. Either they are blinded by hypocrisy or they are pursuing a cause to turn Australia into an extension of the places they worship or have come from, such as the Islamic theocracy of Iran or Hamas-controlled Gaza where individual freedoms and opportunities are severely and ruthlessly curtailed.

Ron Hobba, Camberwell, Vic