Premier Jacinta Allan calls for end to protests following ceasefire

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has been praised by Jewish groups for her ‘leadership’ after urging an end to pro-Palestinian protests nationwide.

Premier Jacinta Allan addresses the media at the Werribee Campus of Victoria University. Picture: Ian Currie

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has been praised by Jewish groups for her “leadership” after urging an end to pro-Palestinian protests nationwide, declaring that if “the guns can be silenced in Gaza,” peace can also prevail on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney.

In the strongest message from the Victorian government to date, Ms Allan and her deputy premier Ben Carroll both called for an end to the rallies – which have cost taxpayers millions of dollars since the war in Israel broke out.

It comes after a tentative ceasefire deal was reached in Gaza, which on Monday saw three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners released.

“There is hurt on both sides here,” Ms Allan said on Monday. “What does not heal that hurt, what does not do the work to mend our social cohesion, is continuing to bring that sort of disruption to our streets.

“If they can find a space for a ceasefire in the Middle East, surely we can find a space for these protests to come to an end in Melbourne.

“If the guns can be silenced in Gaza, then surely we can have peace brought to the streets in Melbourne, in Sydney, right around the country.”

Mr Carroll had called for protests to end a day ahead of the premier, declaring they did nothing to change outcomes in the Middle East.

President of the Zionist Federation of Australia Jeremy Leibler hailed Ms Allan for her “leadership” after making the call.

Mr Leibler said there was a direct correlation between the incitement of violence at demonstrations and the explosion of anti-Semitism and extremism sweeping the nation.

“Premier Allan has demonstrated real leadership in calling for an end to these protests, and she is absolutely right to do so,” Mr Leibler said.

“From violent rhetoric, to the flags of listed terrorist organisations proudly being flown around, and targeted attacks on Jewish Australians, these protests have not been about peaceful discourse, they have emboldened those who seek to intimidate and divide.

The protests have been blamed for festering anti-Semitism in the state, with Victoria bearing the brunt of countless attacks on its minor Jewish community.

It comes as a number of high-profile Melbourne rally organisers called time on their weekly protest attendance, a decision likely to see demonstration numbers dwell in coming weeks.

Organisers had a private meeting over the weekend to discuss the continuation of weekly protests following a blowback from Victoria’s peak business lobby and Jewish organisations, who say families have been discouraged from venturing into the CBD in recent times.

Burgertory restaurant chain boss Hash Tayeh of the Liberation Crew announced at the weekend he would shift his focus to “advocacy, rebuilding, and accountability”, while hard line activist Ihab Alazhari is also understood to have quit demonstrating.