Man holding Australian flag is attacked by pro-Palestine protest and punched in the face
Hundreds of students skipped class and took to the streets of Melbourne last Thursday to protest against the war in Gaza, sparking chaotic scenes.
The Students for Palestine strike action shut down Flinders Street and brought traffic and tram services to a halt, sparking a fiery stand-off with police.
Tensions became more volatile when a man carrying an Australian flag strode the middle of a circle of protesters sitting in the middle of a busy intersection.
He was set upon by several protesters, one of whom punched the man in the face.
Police quickly intervened and pulled the man from the chaos to defuse the situation.
Nationals MP Andrew Willcox described the protesters' actions as 'absolutely disgraceful' and called for the alleged attacker to be charged.
'I'm as patriotic as could possibly be, my blood boils when I see this,' he told Sky News host Rowan Dean.
'As the footage goes on, what I'm really concerned about is then the police actually take away the gentleman who was carrying the Australian flag.
'I'm hoping they took him away to buy him a beer and then went back to arrest that coward who punched him from the side.
'He should be easy enough to find. He needs to be arrested and the full force of the law thrown onto him.'
Former Coalition Speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop was just as horrified at the shocking scenes.
But she pointed the finger the federal Labor government, which has since made the landmark decision to recognise the state of Palestine.
'This intolerance that has been bred by Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong and their policies towards supporting the Gaza cause and absolutely giving the wrong leadership about sympathising with Jewish Australians leads to this sort of behaviour,' she told Dean.
'Fish rots from the head and that's what happening here. The government is rotting from the head.
'And until we get some moral courage back and we start to say 'in this country, we won't tolerate this sort of behaviour', that requires the police to act, not against the victim but against the perpetrator.'
Many Aussies have jumped to the defence of the man with the national flag and hailed him as a hero who deserves a medal.
'What a legend,' one commented online.
Another added: 'I'm Indigenous and I can't believe that happened to the Australian flag.
A third wrote: 'This is Australia. We can show off our beautiful flag whenever we want!'
Others echoed Willcox's calls for charges to be laid over the attack.
'The police should have been protecting him from being attacked....they are an absolute disgrace to Australia,' one commented.
No arrests or charges have been laid in relation to the incident.
Victoria Police confirmed to Daily Mail that one man was moved on for breaching the peace.
Five protesters were arrested for obstructing the roadway, who will be charged on summons.
The protest was held days after a massive pro-Palestine rally involving up to 90,000 people across the Sydney Harbour Bridge brought the city to a standstill.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Teenage boy arrested after death of 13-year-old girl in Huddersfield
A teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and rape after a 13-year-old girl was found unconscious in Huddersfield and later died. West Yorkshire Police were called to a flat on Sheepridge Road at 11.36pm on Monday after the teenage girl was found unresponsive. She was rushed to hospital but died in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and the teenage boy remains in custody, police said. The girl's death was unexplained pending further investigation, according to a postmortem examination carried out on Wednesday. DCI Stacey Atkinson of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said 'We are continuing to conduct a number of enquiries today following the death of a 13-year-old girl following an incident at a flat on Sheepridge Road. 'A post mortem was not able to determine how she died, and we continue to treat her death as unexplained at this time, pending more enquiries. 'Those enquiries are complex and are likely to be lengthy as we work to fully understand the circumstances of the girl's death. Specially trained officers are supporting her family at this time.'
The Guardian
6 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Minns unveils plan to fight anti-Muslim hate: ‘Naked racism and Islamophobia have no place in our state'
The Minns government will establish a $1m program to combat anti-Muslim hate, including establishing a support hotline for victims and a program to build awareness of Islamophobia. The initiative will fund a support hotline for those experiencing Islamophobia and a case management system for victims of abuse so authorities and the community have better information about what behaviours are being experienced. The funds will also be used to build support services for people who are impacted and to provide training programs to police responding to Islamophobic attacks. The grant comes after a huge turnout for a pro-Palestine march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Police estimated 90,000 people turned out, but organisers estimated the figure was closer to 300,000. The march was opposed by the premier, Chris Minns, on public safety grounds but was permitted to go ahead after organisers successfully appealed to the supreme court. Minns' stance caused internal dissent within the NSW Labor party, particularly among MPs whose seats have large Muslim populations, who saw Minns' response as tone-deaf to the concerns of the community. 'Anecdotal evidence presented to me indicates that Islamophobia is far higher than what is reported, we don't want Australians suffering in silence or enduring racism without help or support,' Minns said as he announced the program. 'Naked racism and Islamophobia have no place in our state or our country and it is abhorrent that people perpetuate this sort of behaviour,' he said. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The Action Against Islamophobia program, which will administer the grant, is run by the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC). The ANIC president, Imam Shadi Alsuleiman, said there had been a rise in anti-Muslim hate which had left many Muslims anxious about engaging in their daily religious activities, such as praying in mosques or leaving the house wearing the hijab. 'Islamophobia manifests itself in the community in several different ways, and we've seen an increase in micro aggressions that are often brushed off as ignorance or rude behaviour,' he said. 'Understanding how Muslims experience Islamophobia will help guide our approach to combating the issue on a holistic level.' The Scanlon Foundation's most recent 2024 Mapping Social Cohesion report showed negative attitudes towards Muslims remain by far the highest towards any single faith group for more than 10 years. Negative attitudes towards Muslims rose from 27% in 2023 to 34% in 2024, according to the survey. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The Islamophobia Register Australia has recorded a surge of over 530% in Islamophobic incidents being reported since 7 October 2023 to July 2025, with more than 1,500 cases reported to the body. 'This program will play a critical role in providing support to those who have been affected by this hatred while also spreading awareness of the importance of rejecting racism in all its forms,' the minister for multiculturalism, Steve Kamper, said. 'To safeguard our vibrant multiculturalism, we must ensure we're putting the plans in place to stamp out hatred, like that faced by our Muslim community,' he said. The NSW government has already taken steps to combat the rise in antisemitic incidents in NSW that escalated in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East. In February it passed controversial new laws cracking down on hate speech, offensive Nazi symbols, and desecration and harassment at places of worship. Minns said that these laws would protect not only Jewish people but members of all faiths and their places of worship. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has reported that in the 12 months that followed 7 October 2023, there was a 316% increase in the overall number of reported antisemitic incidents in Australia compared to the same period in the previous year.
Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Travellers with around 30 caravans pitch up in leafy Surrey park - and police are powerless to evict them
More than 30 caravans have pitched up in a local park - but there's nothing police can do to evict them. Police are 'monitoring the situation closely' at Guildford's Stoke Park in Surrey where the makeshift caravan site has been created. The dozens of caravans and as many cars and vans appeared overnight to set up camp on one of the playing fields. Surrey Police are working closely with Guildford Borough Council, which owns the 130-acre town centre park. Officer's powers to manage encampments are 'reliant on certain criteria with regards to damage, disruption, or distress', according to Surrey Police. They visited the site after it was reported to them but concluded nothing could be done as locals are forced to put up with the intruders. But cops confirmed they will continue to monitor the park to see if the threshold to evict the campers had been met. Each of the caravans seems to have come with its own car to tow it along, taking up even more space in the leafy suburb. Police can only evict travellers from unauthorised camps under certain legal conditions set by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, the force said. There must be evidence of damage, disruption, or distress caused by the travellers for officers to have the power to remove them. Surrey Police said: ' We are aware of an unauthorised encampment of around 30 caravans and 28 other vehicles in Stoke Park, which arrived yesterday evening (August 12). 'Officers visited the site and will continue to monitor the situation while working closely with our partners at Guildford Borough Council, who own the land. 'The powers available to police to manage unauthorised encampments under Sections 60, 61, and 62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 are reliant on meeting certain criteria with regards to damage, disruption, or distress. 'It was judged that the encampment does not currently meet this threshold, but the relevant sections of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to judge whether the criteria to direct the site to be vacated has been met.'
