A mass anti-Israel demonstration on the steps of the Sydney Opera House has sparked political condemnation and an investigation by Australian police after protesters were filmed shouting: “Gas the Jews.”
Around 1,000 protesters gathered outside Sydney’s iconic performing arts venue on Monday night carrying flares and Palestinian flags and chanting “gas the Jews”, “Fuck the Jews” and “Allahu Akbar” (in Arabic “God is great”), the disturbing situation. Images shared by the Australian Jewish Association showed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the chants “reprehensible” and “simply appalling,” ABC News reported.
“I think we should all be concerned,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong added on ABC Radio National, according to The Guardian.
“There is no place in Australia for anti-Semitism, prejudice or hatred of any kind and we must all stand firm against the type of anti-Semitic language that was unfortunately used by some. [in] – just as we must stand firm against all prejudice.”
The demonstration attracted about 1,000 people to protest against Israel on Monday night.via REUTERS
The protest came just three days after the war between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that launched a surprise attack on the Jewish state early Saturday.
As of Tuesday, around 1,000 Israelis have been killed and another 2,800 wounded, including entire families, the elderly and revelers at a music festival in the Negev.
The organizers of the protest, the Sydney Palestine Action Group, defended it as “peaceful”, distancing themselves from “a small fringe” of anti-Semitic attendees responsible for the chants.
Disturbing images of protesters chanting “Gas the Jews” quickly went viral.via REUTERS
“From our observations [the chanting] “It occurred for less than a minute and was not a continuous chant,” the group wrote.
“They were quickly condemned for their chanting and asked to leave. “Long-time Palestinian organizers and activists, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim elders who attended the protest were disgusted and deplored by the action,” they continued.
Police watched the protest unfold; an official later said the lack of intervention was “operational.” via REUTERS
“This is not what our movement stands for.”
Although the group disavowed the footage, it quickly went viral and sparked a police investigation amid criticism for allowing the demonstration to take place.
“It’s not about us approving, supporting, facilitating any process… It’s about us providing public safety,” Deputy Police Commissioner Tony Cooke told ABC News of the decision to allow the event to go ahead.
Palestinians are evacuated following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on Monday. AFP via Getty Images A paramedic holds a girl with her face covered in blood and dirt from the effects of the bombing by Israeli planes.ZUMAPRESS.com
New South Wales police launched an investigation into the event and Minns warned that those found to have engaged in “racial vilification or incitement to hatred or incitement to violence” would be charged, The Guardian said.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn