A group of activists have been lashed after storming a Melbourne hotel to stage a protest. Here’s the “despicable” reason they targeted the building.
A group of pro-Palestinian activists have been branded “despicable” after ambushing friends and families of Israeli hostages at a Melbourne hotel on Wednesday night.
Dozens of protesters tracked the group of Israelis — which included friends of Noa Argamani, who was kidnapped by Hamas from the Supernova music festival massacre on October 7 — to their CBD hotel after they had been speaking at an event at Mount Scopus Memorial College, the Herald Sun reported.
The protesters, some wearing Palestinian keffiyeh headscarves, unfurled signs reading “Stop Arming Israel, Free Palestine” and “Zionism is Fascism” and placed fake babies covered in blood on the ground, while shouting through a loudspeaker.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the protest.
“Yesterday, I met with a mother whose son was murdered,” she wrote on X on Thursday.
“She — like so many others — has experienced the heartbreak that is every mother’s nightmare, at the hands of terrorists. I condemn the extreme behaviour on display last night, in the strongest possible terms. I condemn the anti-Semitism. I condemn targeting people in their moment of grief. Whatever your views, we all expect Victorians to act with decency and humanity.”
Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines also condemned the “appalling behaviour” but said police had detected no offences from the protesters.
“It doesn’t mean that it’s OK, it doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable,” he told the Herald Sun on Thursday.
“Ultimately people need to show a hell of a lot more respect than they are. To be intimidated, to have to endure that … is just unnecessary. It is appalling, it is bullying.”
Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton said the “disgraceful” protest was “clearly intended to intimidate those Israelis whose loved ones have been killed or taken hostage by Hamas”.
“These actions threatened Australians of Jewish faith,” he said on X.
“Only by holding those accountable for hate speech can we ensure we turn the tide of anti-Semitism in Australia right now, which has increased five-fold since October 7. There must be severe consequences for protestors who commit anti-Semitic acts and law enforcement authorities should have arrested these protesters.”
Earlier, Amit Parapara, a friend of Ms Argamani who is among the group meeting with political leaders to raise awareness of the hostages’ plight, told the Herald Sun they had been forced to hide as the protesters entered the building.
“There was a pro-Palestinian rally, a big one, in the hotel, not outside, in the hotel where we stay,” he told the newspaper on Wednesday night. “We are now hiding.”
Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the protest. Picture: X
Jewish human rights campaigner Menachem Vorchheimer described the scenes as “vile”. “Only a sick and depraved person would purposely target families of hostage members,” he wrote on X.
“These families are already suffering unbearable pain — just inhumane. [Victoria Police’s] failure to arrest these individuals makes them look just as bad.”
Victorian deputy Liberal leader David Southwick slammed the “despicable” protest. “Victoria is a multicultural, inclusive state — but these anti-Israel bigots have embarrassed us on the world stage,” he wrote.
“Traumatising the families of Hamas’ victims is despicable. How did this happen? What are the consequences? How can we ensure this never happens again?”
Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said in a statement it was “difficult to imagine a more hateful and disgusting act than targeting families of Israeli hostages who are visiting our country to talk about their fear and trauma”.
Ofir Tamir and Amit Parapara, friends of Noa Argamani. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire
“The anti-Israel movement is becoming indistinguishable from Neo-Nazism in its complete disregard for any norms of decency and their obsession with intimidating and harassing the most vulnerable targets,” he said.
“We stand in complete solidarity with the hostage families. They are our families and we assure them that the thuggery that confronted them is no reflection of the decency and humanity of our fellow Australians.”
An extended truce deal between Israel and Hamas has seen the release of 70 Israeli hostages and 30 hostages of other nationalities in six batches since last week.
Israel has in turn released 210 Palestinian prisoners under the deal.
Hamas terrorists poured over the border into Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 240, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel’s subsequent air and ground campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 15,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas officials, and reduced large parts of the north of the territory to rubble.
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