Community tensions boil after Hezbollah flag display - Michael West
September 30, 2024 17:50 | News
Australians are being warned about importing conflict from the Middle East as fiery protests re-ignite community tensions after the bombing of Lebanon by Israel.
Thousands marched on the weekend to protest Israel’s mass killing of civilians in Gaza and bombing of Lebanon but some have been condemned for carrying the Hezbollah flag and photos of its killed leader.
Jewish Australians have condemned the use of the listed terror group’s iconography and photos glorifying Hassan Nasrallah.
Protesters were joined by some who brandished the Hezbollah flag and photos of its slain leader. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-leader Alex Ryvchin called it “sickening to see fellow Australians on our streets mourning the death of this terrorist kingpin”.
The protests went beyond concerns about the loss of life and future of Lebanon and veered into “active, open, specific support for Hezbollah” which police needed to take action against, Mr Ryvchin said on Monday.
The Islamic Council of Victoria blamed a small number of people for the Hezbollah flags, saying the community’s focus was on the escalation of violence in Gaza and Lebanon.
“It has been made clear that Hezbollah flags are not welcome and should not be brought,” the group’s president Adel Salman said.
Jewish leaders say it was “sickening” to see people openly mourning the death of a terrorist leader. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)But this fixation on flags serves as a “convenient distraction” from violence in the Middle East, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said.
“It’s a national disgrace that condemning a flag has become easier than confronting the brutal reality of a rogue state intent on annihilating an entire population.”
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Rateb Jneid called for stronger action after hundreds of people, including dozens of children, were killed in Lebanon following an Israeli rocket barrage it said targeted the terror group.
Doing nothing amounted to complicity, he said as he called the federal government’s rhetoric “weak” and drew comparison between Lebanon and Gaza, where more than 40,000 people have been killed.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned Lebanon “cannot become the next Gaza” and supported a 21-day ceasefire proposal.
Political leaders have also expressed concern over the flames of social conflict being fanned by such actions.
“We do not want people to bring radical ideologies and conflict here, our multiculturalism and social cohesion cannot be taken for granted,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ahead of a cabinet meeting in Canberra on Monday.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned visa holders and applicants who sought “to incite discord in Australia” could have visas refused or revoked.
Victoria Police have referred matters to the Australian Federal Police “as the lead agency concerning prohibited symbols”.
But “the mere public display of a prohibited symbol on its own” doesn’t reach the commonwealth law threshold, an AFP spokesperson said.
The symbol needed to be used in actions that spread ideas of racial superiority or hatred or were likely to offend, insult or intimidate a person for reasons such as race, religion or nationality before anyone could be charged, they said.
Although a reasonable person determining the display of the symbol is likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate “would be sufficient” because of the ideology it’s seen to represent, the counter-terror law reads.
Officers can direct people to take down the symbols but can’t remove them by force, although those who fail to comply face fines.
In NSW, protesters initially complied when asked to put away Hezbollah flags but many brought them out later, prompting police to seize them.
Hezbollah flags were confiscated by police when protesters failed to put them away for good. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)Parliament should be recalled to urgently pass legislation criminalising the glorification of a terrorist leader if current laws weren’t strong enough, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said.
Coalition frontbenchers are further demanding visa cancellations for anyone supporting Hezbollah.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan wants people held to account, “not just for the displaying of a prohibited symbol but for the grief and pain and anguish that is causing far too many in our community”.
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