Pro-Palestine’s dark heart as anti-Semitic hate on show

Fresh anti-Semitic attacks have erupted across Australia on the October 7 anniversary as Israel demands Anthony Albanese take stronger action against hatred.

Clockwise from left: Site of the Nova music fesitval where 378 people were massacred, a child wearing a t-shirt with ‘Death to the IDF’ seen in Sydney, a billboard in Melbourne tagged with pro-Hamas graffiti.

Australian Jews endured a vile burst of anti-Semitic hatred on Tuesday as they mourned the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre, prompting a new demand by Israel for Anthony Albanese to “get your country in order”.

The blast from the Netanyahu government came as pro-Palestine protesters refused to rule out marching on the Sydney Opera House on Sunday even if a court ordered them not to, raising the prospect of a repeat of the ugly scenes there two years earlier.

In a highly charged speech to parliament marking the October 7 anniversary, Sussan Ley also ­accused the Prime Minister of ­failing Jewish Australians by ­allowing “hate to take root” in the community and ignoring the recommendations of his own anti-Semitism envoy.

But Mr Albanese declared his government would continue to stand against anti-Semitism and had been unwavering in its ­condemnation of Hamas, as new Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett vowed to place the preservation of social cohesion at the heart of the agency’s national security mission.

Melbourne’s Jewish community awoke to new graffiti on a Fitzroy billboard proclaiming “Glory to Hamas”, while a nearby Officeworks building was sprayed with the words “Free Palestine” and “Oct 7 do it again”.

New pro-Hamas graffiti was daubed on a billboard at the corner of Brunswick Street and Alexandra Parade in Melbourne’s inner-city Fitzroy. Picture: NewsWire / Josie Hayden

In Sydney, two men were ­arrested after a gun was allegedly pointed at the Cremorne synagogue from a moving truck, and a Stand4Palestine protest linked to Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir went ahead in Bankstown “honouring two years of resistance” against Israel and attended by a crowd of about 200, many families. One child wore a t-shirt with the words “Death to the IDF”.In a speech following chants of “from the river to the sea” at the protest, Sheik Ibrahim Dadoun appealed for Zionist groups to be recognised as terror organisations.

“One day, we will see Zionism in its entirety to be known like the Nazi regimes that came before,” he told the crowd.

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel condemned the graffiti attack, telling Mr Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan to “get your country in order (and) stop the Jew-hate”.

“What the hell is this billboard doing in Melbourne? Don’t you have hate crimes? You have a police force, right? Take this down immediately. What on earth is wrong with Australia?” Ms Haskel said on X.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the graffiti was evidence of a “very ugly streak of ­hatred” in Australia, which he said was despicable but not surprising.

Fresh anti-Semitic graffiti was painted on an Officeworks building in Fitzroy. Picture: NewsWire / Josie Hayden

Mr Albanese said the vandalism was “abhorrent”, and the AFP would work with Victoria Police to ensure those responsible faced the full force of the law.

He used his parliamentary statement on the October 7 anniversary to declare: “The Australian government stands with Jewish people around the world who feel the cold shadow of history’s darkest chapter in any act of anti-­Semitism. We will always stand against anti-Semitism, as should everyone. We must break this cycle of violence and build something better.”

He said Australia had consistently applied pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza, the return of Israeli hostages, the resumption of aid and a two-state solution. “Australia welcomes (US) President (Donald) Trump’s plan to bring peace to Gaza after almost two years of conflict and a devastating loss of civilian life,” Mr Albanese said.

The Opposition Leader responded by attacking the government’s actions in the two years after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, accusing it of undermining efforts to eradicate Hamas and secure the release of its hostages. “To our great shame, under the leadership of the Albanese Labor government, Australia has not stood with the people of Israel nor with the United States as they have sought to dismantle Hamas and establish the conditions for peace,” Ms Ley said.

“Two years on, Australia has failed to stand firm in the face of terror. Australia has been lauded by Hamas and condemned by ­Israel and by the United States. Australia could have stood firm, and to their great credit millions of Australians have. But those Australians, and our Jewish community, have been failed by their government.

“We have allowed hate to take root, onto our streets and into our communities.”

Ms Ley called on the government to “get off the fence” and enact the recommendations of its anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal, who last week called on the government to reveal how it would act on her now three-month-old plan to end anti-Jewish hate.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley in question time on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Activist Ehtesham Ahmad was the most prominent attendee, entering on horseback weeks after making a similar demonstration at Bondi Beach.

A large portion of the crowd was made up of families and children, some younger than 10.

Pro-Palestine activists seeking authorisation for a planned rally at the Sydney Opera House argued on Tuesday that a ruling against them by the NSW Supreme Court would violate the Constitution with implications for a “wide variety of protest activities”.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday morning and moved to the Court of Appeal, amid fears of a repeat of a 2023 protest at the site when an Israeli flag was set alight and the conduct of demonstrators prompted a NSW Police investigation.

The Palestine Action Group said it would not speculate on whether the march would be relocated, but “regardless of the outcome, we will be protesting on October 12”. “I think it would be inappropriate to presuppose the decision of the Supreme Court. We’re confident the Supreme Court will uphold the right to demonstrate, as they did with the Harbor Bridge March,” said protest organiser Damian Ridgwell.

New Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett at AFP headquarters in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms Barrett, who was sworn into the nation’s top policing job on Tuesday, pledged a crackdown on anti-Semites, Nazis and Australians who threatened parliamentarians during her five-year term. She revealed new national security investigation teams were being set up nationwide to tackle a surge in hate crimes.

“The AFP’s role in preserving our social cohesion has never been more important,” Ms Barrett told an all-hands meeting as she commenced her role. “We must always be ready to intervene early if individuals or groups are mobilising to undertake or violence. This is a responsibility we will take seriously.”

Three of the new national security teams have already been established – in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra – under the push to combat extremism that threatens the nation’s social fabric but falls short of terrorism, which is investigated by joint counter-terror squads.

Ms Barrett said the units would use all of the means at their disposal, including electronic surveillance and artificial intelligence, to target those who breached new hate crimes laws or displayed illegal Nazi and terrorist symbols.

“We will ensure we provide the states and territories with contemporary intelligence about these groups and will use our unique capabilities and legislation to target them,” the commissioner said.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said the government’s recognition of Palestine at the UN General Assembly last month “didn’t help” to address anti-Semitism in Australia, or provide support for US-led peace talks.