Pro-Palestine protesters try to storm Anthony Albanese’s dinner ahead of China visit
One person was arrested after the protesters in Darwin tried to confront Anthony Albanese ahead of his landmark trip to China.
One person has been arrested after pro-Palestine supporters got in a physical altercation with security guards and attempted to storm a Labor fundraising dinner to confront Anthony Albanese last night.
Members of the Free Palestine group tried but failed to reach the Prime Minister, who is in Darwin ahead of his landmark trip to China, with footage capturing a clash between protesters and what appears to be members of Mr Albanese’s private security, NT News reported.
Security pushed protesters back as Mr Albanese dined at the Rydges Palmerston, located close by to the NT’s capital.
The advocacy group confirmed the incident in a statement overnight, and said they “loudly disrupted the dinner at the moment Mr Albanese walked into the Palmerston restaurant”.
In the video, the protesters can be heard shouting ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘ceasefire now’.
Mitchell Chute from the advocacy group said they felt a moral obligation to confront Mr Albanese.
“There is a genocide happening in Palestine and through diplomatic and military ties Australia is supporting it,” Mr Chute told NT News.
“At the same time as the Prime Minister and Territory politicians attended this secret, exclusive $5000 a head dinner, Palestinian children, women, and men are being killed.”
Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles was also in attendance at the $5000-per-head dinner on Friday night.
According to a social media post made on Mr Albanese’s X account, the pair met to discuss critical minerals, the space industry and defence.
Pro-Palestine protesters in Melbourne also targeted the Prime Minister just a day before outside the 2023 Outlook Conference on Thursday.
A group gathered to chant “Albanese blood on your hands”.
The events come as he is set to jet off to China on Saturday, with Mr Albanese describing his visit, the first by an Australian prime minister in seven years, as a “very positive step”.
“It is a result of the patient, calibrated and deliberate approach that we have the relationship with China,” he told reporters in Darwin on Saturday.
“The fact that it is the first visit in seven years to our major trading partner is a very positive step and I look forward to constructive discussions and dialogue with President and the Premier during my visit to Shanghai and Beijing.”
Discussing critical minerals, the space industry and defence in the Top End with Chief Minister @NatashaFylesMLApic.twitter.com/U4xo3xiC4A
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) November 3, 2023
Mr Albanese flagged that he will use the trip to tell President Xi that the case of detained Australian academic Dr Yang Hengjun must be resolved.
“I will be saying that Dr Yang‘s case needs to be resolved and I will be speaking about his human rights, the nature of the detention and the other transparent processes,” he said.
Dr Yang was arrested in August 2019 over suspicions of espionage and has spent more than four years in Beijing prison.
He faced a closed trial in May 2021 and is still awaiting a verdict.
“I have raised this issue before, we will always raise the issues of Australian citizens when we meet with international leaders. That is something that we do consistently and I will do it again in a way that is aimed at achieving an outcome in the interest of Dr Yang and his family,” Mr Albanese said.
“We welcome very much the fact that Cheng Lei is with her daughters and family in Melbourne. There was a very good outcome. It is something that the Australian government pursued and that is something that we were pleased to see resolved.”
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