Latest news with #StudentsForPalestine
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Man holding Australian flag is attacked by pro-Palestine protest and punched in the face
Shocking footage has emerged of a man proudly holding an Australian flag being set upon and punched by pro-Palestinian protesters. 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 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.
News.com.au
07-08-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Melbourne students protesting against the Gaza conflict block the city
About 300 student protesters have blocked one of Melbourne CBD's main intersections as they rallied against the Gaza conflict. The group marched from the State Library to Flinders St they sat in the middle of the intersection for about 60 minutes on Thursday. Police moved on one man who breached the peace and five other protesters were arrested for obstructing the roadway. They are expected to be charged on summons. The protest was part of nationwide action organised by the National Union of Students and Students for Palestine, which called for a student referendum on Gaza. The students want to vote no confidence in the Australian government alleging it has been complicit in the genocide in Gaza and to end weapons trade with Israel. National Union of Students education officer James McVicar said in a video posted to social media they would continue to stand against war and any politician or political party that endorsed war or unprovoked acts of aggression. Flinders Street has since reopened.
