Protesters interrupted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and jeered him during his visit to the country's largest mosque during Eid al-Fitr prayers, expressing their anger at his stance on Israel's attack on Gaza.
During his visit to the Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney, Albanese joined worshippers accompanied by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, but after about 15 minutes, protesters began interrupting him, chanting and demanding that he leave, calling them "genocide supporters."
A religious leader intervened to try to calm the protesters, saying, "My dear brothers and sisters, please remain calm. It's a holiday. It's a happy day." A security guard was also seen tackling a protester to the ground before removing him from the area.
Albanese and Burke left shortly afterward, followed by protesters shouting "Shame on you!"
Later, Albanese described the visit as "very positive" despite what had happened. He told reporters, "If two people cause a disturbance in a crowd of 30,000, it needs to be put into perspective." He added that some of the resentment stemmed from the government's designation this month of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir as a banned hate group.
Members of the Muslim and Jewish communities in Australia are angry at the cautious stance taken by the center-left government since the outbreak of the Gaza war. It expresses concern for the Palestinians and repeatedly urges a ceasefire, but at the same time supports Israel’s right to defend itself.
Last month saw large numbers of protesters take to the streets during Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to the country, which came at the invitation of Albanese following the Bondi Beach mass shooting that targeted the Jewish community.
