New taskforce to tackle hate after anti-Semitic attacks
* Assigned with tackling hateful behaviour and looking at the bigger picture across Victoria
* Members will include the premier, police minister, Victoria Police, the Melbourne lord mayor and Jewish community voices, with more stakeholders to be added
* Initial meeting this week will be about getting advice from Victoria Police on how anti-vilification laws will be put into operation
* Taskforce will update the premier on progress from local meetings with the Jewish community
* It will also update on the progress of community consultations and legislation for increased police powers to stamp out extreme and violent protest
* It will build on anti-vilification laws, greater police powers to come into effect and the work on legislation to ban masks at protests
MELBOURNE'S ALLEGED ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKS:
East Melbourne Hebrew Synagogue
* Firebombed on Friday night with 20 worshippers inside for a Shabbat dinner
* A man allegedly poured a flammable liquid on the front door and set it alight
* Angelo Loras, a 34-year-old from Sydney's west, was arrested in Melbourne, with detectives investigating his intent and ideology
* He was charged with reckless conduct endanger life, criminal damage by fire, and possess a controlled weapon
CBD Israeli restaurant
* A group who splintered off from an earlier protest allegedly smashed a window, flipped tables and threw chairs outside Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD on Friday night
* Protest organisers said the restaurant was targeted because it was part-owned by Israeli businessman Shahar Segal, a spokesman for a food aid group backed by Israel and the US
* A 28-year-old from Footscray was arrested for hindering police and released on summons
* Police chief commissioner Mike Bush will examine the police response to the protest outside the restaurant
Greensborough business
* Three cars and a wall were spray-painted outside a Greensborough business in Melbourne's northeast in the early hours of Saturday
* One vehicle was destroyed and two damaged after being set alight
* There were "inferences of anti-Semitism" and the business has been subjected to pro-Palestinian activity in the past year, police said
Elsternwick business
* Offenders used stencils to allegedly spray paint offensive images on pillars at a busy intersection and on walls in Elsternwick on Sunday
* Police have not established links between the incidents
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The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Pro-Palestine protesters defiant as crackdown looms
Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre. Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system. But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days". "We won't stop," she told the crowd. Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship. It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months. Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown. "Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations. 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"Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations. Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre. Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system. But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days". "We won't stop," she told the crowd. Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship. It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months. Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown. "Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations. Undeterred by the Victorian government's promises to bring in stronger measures to clamp down on the weekly protests, hundreds again turned out in force on Sunday to march through a chilly Melbourne city centre. Premier Jacinta Allan has made it clear her government is actively planning ways to curb "odious" rallies, including enforcing strengthened anti-vilification laws, overseeing an anti-hate task force and talk of introducing a protest permit system. But rally emcee Hajar Riad said demonstrators would continue to gather as they had "every single Sunday for 645 days". "We won't stop," she told the crowd. Following in the footsteps of controversial laws introduced in NSW, the Victorian government is drafting legislation to ban protests outside places of worship. It also plans to ban demonstrators from wearing face coverings and could consider introducing further measures in the coming months. Ms Riad took aim at the Victorian government's latest crackdown. "Our government is trying to criminalise each and every single one of us," she said. Free Palestine Melbourne protests, together with separate groups across the country, are demanding Australia impose sanctions on Israel due to its actions in Gaza following Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. But protest participants have come under fire for the rallying cry "death to the IDF", a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. Federal opposition frontbencher and Liberal senator James Patterson called for the chant to be examined as potential incitement to violence, while Ms Allan said it was fair to ask why the slogan should be tolerated at protests. Organisers led the crowd in the chant on Sunday, adding it was "a bit controversial, apparently". One protester displayed a sign that read: "Death 2 the IDF, not just a chant but a prayer". A recent spate of attacks on Melbourne's Jewish community, including the firebombing of an east Melbourne synagogue and the storming of an Israeli restaurant, prompted the government to set up a task force to target hate crimes. But organisers stressed they were not anti-Semitic and they "love our Jewish brothers and sisters". Regular protest attendee Stephanie Wong said the government was rushing through legal changes and conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "The people who meet peacefully to demonstrate each week aren't the same people who launch violent attacks," she told AAP. "We shouldn't have our rights and freedom of speech taken away because a very small group of people commit violence." The Victorian anti-hate task force met for the first time on Tuesday. The federal Labor government has also promised more action to protect Jewish Australians after the release of its anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations.
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
Protester insists violent attacks not antisemitic as speaker predicts Israel's demise
A speaker at the latest of Melbourne's regular pro-Palestine rallies has insisted recent violent attacks at businesses with links to Israel were not antisemitic, as controversial chants were again led at Sunday's event. Speakers at Sunday's march, attended by hundreds in the CBD, also attacked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who last week released a report from his antisemitism envoy, and Premier Jacinta Allan, who announced a taskforce after last weekend's attacks, which included the firebombing of a synagogue. The protests have been held almost every weekend since Hamas' terror attack on Israel, which killed about 1300 people, and throughout Israel's devastating retaliation that has killed almost 60,000 people in Gaza as well as fuelled wider regional conflicts. One rally speaker said the media, including The Age, had misrepresented last weekend's incidents at Lovitt Technologies in Greensborough, where cars were torched, and Miznon restaurant, which was violently trashed, as antisemitic. 'The action at Lovitt Technologies was a legitimate target, because they provide military parts to F35 aircraft that are bombing civilians in Gaza right now,' said the speaker, whom this masthead has attempted to identify. She said the incident at Miznon in the CBD was also not an act of antisemitism, because of part-owner Shahar Segal's former role as a spokesman for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been widely criticised over its role in the deaths of civilians trying to access food in the enclave. 'The Miznon restaurant [incident] was not antisemitic, because the mother----er that runs that place has direct ties to the GHF that is killing starving civilians,' she said. She did not say whether she believed the tactics in those two attacks were justified but condemned the East Melbourne synagogue attack, saying the protesters would never target a place of worship.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Protesters insist violent attacks not antisemitic as speaker predicts Israel's demise
A speaker at the latest of Melbourne's regular pro-Palestine rallies has insisted recent violent attacks at businesses with links to Israel were not antisemitic, as controversial chants were again led at Sunday's event. Speakers at Sunday's march, attended by hundreds in the CBD, also attacked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who last week released a report from his antisemitism envoy, and Premier Jacinta Allan, who announced a taskforce after last weekend's attacks, which included the firebombing of a synagogue. The protests have been held almost every weekend since Hamas' terror attack on Israel, which killed about 1300 people, and throughout Israel's devastating retaliation that has killed almost 60,000 people in Gaza as well as fuelled wider regional conflicts. One rally speaker said the media, including The Age, had misrepresented last weekend's incidents at Lovitt Technologies in Greensborough, where cars were torched, and Miznon restaurant, which was violently trashed, as antisemitic. 'The action at Lovitt Technologies was a legitimate target, because they provide military parts to F35 aircraft that are bombing civilians in Gaza right now,' said the speaker, whom this masthead has attempted to identify. She said Miznon in the CBD was also a valid target, because of part-owner Shahar Segal's former role as a spokesman for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been widely criticised over its role in the deaths of civilians trying to access food in the enclave. 'The Miznon restaurant [incident] was not antisemitic, because the mother----er that runs that place has direct ties to the GHF that is killing starving civilians,' she said. She did not say whether she believed the tactics in those two attacks were justified but condemned the East Melbourne synagogue attack, saying the protesters would never target a place of worship.
