Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has accused some of those attending pro-Palestinian rallies of protesting for “protest’s sake” and not having a full idea of what the issues are and who they were supporting.
Joyce’s fiery comments come as the Jewish community marks the first anniversary of the brutal Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 last year in which more than 1200 people were killed and hundreds taken hostage by the terror group.
A candlelight vigil for members of the Jewish community was held in Sydney on Sunday evening to commemorate those who lost their lives on that day in attacks that sparked the ongoing deadly conflict in the Middle East.
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Israel’s efforts to destroy the militants have so far led to the deaths of more than 42,000 people on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, with the conflict extending to Lebanon as the Israeli military escalates its action against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Thousands of people attended controversial pro-Palestinian protests in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday.
One man was arrested in Sydney after holding up a poster featuring a Nazi swastika.
Demonstrators were warned not to display the flag, symbols or portraits of Hezbollah, which is a designated terrorist group in Australia, or “play out” the conflict in the Middle East through racial slurs or “threats to public safety”.
Some individuals were carrying flags with green and yellow, which are the colours of Hezbollah’s official ensign.
One man holding a green and yellow flag, which appeared to show a masked man holding a weapon, echoing the design of the Hezbollah flag, was quizzed by police.
In an appearance for Hot Topics on Sunrise with Nat Barr and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten on Monday, Joyce said the demonstrations risked giving support to Hamas.
“This is a lot of people who just want to protest for protest’s sake. It is ridiculous,” he said.
“Supporting issues in Palestine or supporting Hamas? Do they understand exactly what happens to people in the gay community under Hamas? Do they comprehend exactly what they are doing?
“Therefore, you pose the question what is really behind this? An understanding of the Palestinian situation? An empathy?”
Joyce said he was “certain” many protesters were genuine however he did not think the eve of the anniversary of the devastating terror attack on Israel was an appropriate time to be holding protests and some of those attending the rallies were “hangers on”.
“It is completely contemptible,” he said.
Ambassador summoned
Iran’s foreign ministry has summoned the Australian ambassador in Tehran over what it said was his country’s biased stance on Iran’s attack against Israel, Iranian news agency Tasnim has reported on Monday.
Ian McConville was summoned on Sunday due to his country’s repeated bias, including on Iran’s response to what it called “the Zionist regime,” meaning Israel.
Australia’s embassy in Tehran did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Tehran launched a missile attack against Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for the killing of several leaders of Iran-aligned armed groups. Israel has said it will respond.
– With AAP