‘Disgusted’: Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan slams pro-Palestine gatecrashers as controversial Gaza motions pass
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says she is ‘disgusted’ by the pro-Palestine activists who gatecrashed the Victorian Labor State conference as six contentious motions on Gaza were carried.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says she is “disgusted” by the pro-Palestine activists who gatecrashed the Victorian Labor State conference as six contentious motions on Gaza were carried on Saturday.
Urgency motions relating to the Israel-Hamas war, drafted by pro-Palestinian supporters within Labor’s Socialist Left faction, were debated and met with overwhelming support.
One of the motions demands the Albanese government support the “inalienable right of self-determination for the Palestinian people,” and another calls for the end to Israel’s “perpetual military occupation and human rights violations” in Gaza.
Two delegates for and against the motions were given a few minutes each to advocate their position.
The speeches from the two speakers seeking to move the motion earned cheers from crowd.
However Nick Dyrenfurth, co-convener of Labor Friends of Israel, who sought to oppose the motion, was heckled when he addressed the conference.
Mr Dyrenfurth said he supported Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state, but said the actions of Hamas had damaged this cause.
“Why? Because of the existence of the … genocidal racists of Hamas,” he said.
“This motion barely acknowledges them, October 7 and their rejection of Israel’s existence.
“By contrast it implicitly rewards them for the actions of October 7.”
He said a State Labor conference recognising a Palestinian state over Hamas makes no difference to the people in Israel or Gaza.
“It will not prevent one death, it will not deliver one aid package, it will not bring peace a single day closer,” he said.
“And it will not repair the damage to social cohesion which has occurred in this country, in this state, outside our conference, in fact, inside our conference.”
Mr Dyrenfurth said Hamas was no friend of the Labor Party.
“This motion is a betrayal of all we hold dear as Labour people and internationalists,” he said.
“Hamas holds trade unions, freedom of assembly and workers’ rights in contempt. Hamas holds freedom of religion in contempt.”
He told The Weekend Australian that after he described himself as a “proud Jew”, someone in the crowd yelled “sit down Zionist”.
When the group of motions was put to a vote, a majority of the room shouted a resounding “I”, as a small number of dejected “no’s” were heard afterwards.
Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns launched a scathing attack on the “one sided motions” passed by the state conference, claiming they would “cause division and hurt” in Australia.
“Today at the Victorian Labor conference police had to move violent and aggressive pro-Palestinian protestors from the building,” he told The Weekend Australian.
“MPs and delegates were abused and physically assaulted. It was completely unacceptable. It was not a safe environment.
“Later on the conference moved a series of one sided motions which passed the floor.”
He said the motions won’t bring peace to those on the ground and will cause division and hurt in Australia.
“It would have been preferable if the motions had recognised the breadth of pain and anxiety felt by so many people in Victoria while watching the scenes in the Middle East,” Mr Burns said.
The federal MP for Macnamara – an electorate covering Jewish heartland suburbs such as Caulfield, St Kilda East and Balaclava – had been involved in negotiating with the pro-Palestinian faction within the Socialist Left to amend the motions.
“Despite my best efforts to work with other delegates to find common ground, no agreement was reached. I will continue to stand up inside the party as I was elected to do,” he said.
State and federal governments are not bound by motions passed on the floor of state conference, but the debate frequently offers insights into party divisions, and the directions in which the membership is moving on key issues.
Today, protestors and intruders brought violence, homophobia and anti-Semitism to the front door of state conference.
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) May 18, 2024
I’m disgusted.
No one should be cowered by these bullies.
The carriage of the motions come after the Victorian Premier took to social media to condemn the activists, which forced her and Deputy Premier Ben Carroll to be rushed into the conference room away from the group.
“Today, protestors and intruders brought violence, homophobia and anti-Semitism to the front door of state conference,” she wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I’m disgusted. No one should be cowered by these bullies.”
Members of the conference were told to either take their seats or leave the room on Saturday morning, with a speaker advising the congregation that the doors would be closed due to a “security issue”.
About 50 Gatecrashers stormed the Moonee Valley Racecourse after 10am and made their way to the building’s upper level.
The conference room was locked for about 20 minutes while the protesters were present.
The group chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Labor Party you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide” outside the room where market stalls were set up.
Some activists donned keffiyehs around their neck and waved around Palestinian flags.
A woman with a megaphone spoke to the crowd said that the Labor Party had given them “no choice” but to bring politics to their door.
The group then made their way towards the conference room and proceeded to heavily bang on the doors and shouted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
After a few minutes, the activists made their way out using the escalators, as two police officers emerged to direct the group to move on.
A pro-Palestine supporter shouted at a non-protest member, who appeared visibly upset by the altercation.
“You’re supporting genocide!” the man shouted at the non-protest member.
Security blocked entrances after the protesters left.
Earlier in the conference, Anthony Albanese was met with a rock star welcome at the conference as he spruiked his government’s third budget as one that delivers cost of living relief and a focus on a future made in Australia.
He slammed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, and said he had no policies or plans to help with cost of living.
“The Liberal Party are scared of the present but they’re terrified of the future,” the Prime Minister told the crowd.
“They’re stuck in the past and set on dragging the rest of Australia back there, just to keep them company.
“Dragging the country back to denial and delay on climate change, back to an economy where low wages were a deliberate design feature, back to wage theft, insecure work and the law of the jungle in industrial relations.”
The Prime Minister did not directly mention the conflict in the Middle East, but acknowledged the decade had already seen “all manner of challenges”.
He referenced natural disasters, the Covid-19 pandemic, economic uncertainty, but also mentioned “conflict and challenge overseas”.
“You helped each other through these difficult times, and you’ve worked so hard to preserve and nourish the great national asset of our social cohesion and our respect for one another,” Mr Albanese said.
“Even when it’s been tested by conflict and tension overseas.
“The worst of times always revealed the best of the Australian character, their compassion and their courage.”
Pro-Palestine activists infiltrate Moonee Valley Racecourse where the Victorian Labor State Conference is being held.
— Tricia Rivera (@tricialeerivera) May 18, 2024
Protesters were banging at the doors of the conference. @australianpic.twitter.com/MB9SHf9aC5
The Prime Minister did not directly mention the conflict in the Middle East, but acknowledged the decade had already seen “all manner of challenges”.
He referenced natural disasters, the Covid-19 pandemic, economic uncertainty, but also mentioned “conflict and challenge overseas”.
“You helped each other through these difficult times, and you’ve worked so hard to preserve and nourish the great national asset of our social cohesion and our respect for one another,” Mr Albanese said.
“Even when it’s been tested by conflict and tension overseas.
“The worst of times always revealed the best of the Australian character, their compassion and their courage.”
Police said they will have a visible presence in response to the planned protests over the course of the two-day conference.
“A group of protesters entered the gates to a venue on Feehan Ave this morning and were moved on without incident,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
“Our priority is the safety of the community and officers will ensure there are no breaches of the peace.”
The Victorian Premier also touted Victorian Labor’s policies and used the forum to announce new laws to protect customer-facing workers in retail, fast food and public transport roles from assault and abuse.
“As we’ve seen today, there are those who want to distract us, to silence us, to scare us,” Ms Allan said in her speech.
“But our movement and our party is one of the oldest in the world.”
About 150 pro-Palestine activists, joined by independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, gathered an hour ahead of the conference.
Unionists for Palestine called on its followers to “bring your discontent and rage”, with the protesters outside the premise seen calling out to people filing into the conference.
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dr Dvir Abramovich expressed concern over the protests.
“I hope that those ALP delegates who are determined to demonise and delegitimise Israel through a series of motions will reflect on who are the truly bad actors in this situation,” he said.
“I hope that these extremists will be dealt with to the full extent of the law.”
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