The disturbing protests of Palestinian sympathizers and Hamas supporters continue across the world as people gathered in Sydney, Australia just outside landmark Sydney Opera House on Monday, October 9. Now, Australia’s political leaders and the public alike are condemning these peoples’ actions.
Roughly 2,000 people showed up to Town Hall before marching towards the Opera House to demonstrate their support for Palestine. Attendees of the gathering were heard shouting anti-Semitic chants like “gas the Jews” and “f–k the Jews” and burning a Star of David in front of the iconic Opera House.
Police allowed the protest to proceed without intervening, instead advising Jewish Australians to stay home for their safety.
Video: A crowd at the steps of the Sydney Opera House chants "gas the Jews" and "f*ck the Jews" on October 9. pic.twitter.com/uPNLuaIgcv
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) October 9, 2023
Australia’s political leaders have reacted with outrage and condemnation following an ugly turn at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Monday. The event started off peacefully, but soon deteriorated into an atmosphere rife with extreme anti-Semitic language resulting in widespread concern among citizens across Australia.
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong expressed her thoughts about what had transpired: “I think we should all be concerned…there is no place in Australia for antisemitism or prejudice or hatred of any kind.” NSW Premier Chris Minns also voiced his disapproval, stating that anyone found engaging in racism will face charges.
He added that celebrating “atrocious indiscriminate killing” is appalling and does not reflect the multicultural dynamic that is desired within New South Wales and Australia as a whole.
Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke defended the NSW Police’s decision not to intervene during Monday’s demonstration, saying it was more effective to manage their movement rather than attempting to obstruct it. Cooke stated: “Very clearly, my best option was to control and manage the situation…in the end the risks of conflict were avoided.”
He made it clear that providing public safety was their main priority rather than condoning or facilitating protests. Despite this reasoning, police are still facing criticism over their choice not to intervene during this incident which could have been avoided if proper precautions had been taken by law enforcement beforehand.
Sadly, this kind of behavior is being witnessed across the planet, as videos of protests in London and Germany have also surfaced.
Look at the state of London. A Third World Islamist extremist dump! #Israel_under_attack #FreePalastine #IsraelUnderAttack #IsraelPalestineWar #HamasTerrorists #Iran #Palestinian pic.twitter.com/jLxzOOKRjV
— Paul Golding (@GoldingBF) October 9, 2023
A large group of Hamas supporters attack a smaller pro-Israeli group on the streets of Duisburg, Germany tonight.
After a while, the police intervened and managed to push back the Hamas supporters.
What's happening in Germany? pic.twitter.com/1ajQyZLN45
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 9, 2023