Australian state says pro-Palestine event on Oct 7 anniversary ‘shockingly insensitive’

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By Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia’s most populous state criticised a pro-Palestine group’s plan to stage a protest event in Sydney on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the attacks by militant group Hamas that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered a deadly war in Gaza.

Israel’s military strikes have since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left the majority of 2.2 million Gazans homeless and starving in an enclave destroyed by relentless bombardment.

The Stand for Palestine Australia group is planning a ‘glory to our martyrs’ event on Tuesday evening in Sydney’s Bankstown suburb, drawing condemnation from Chris Minns, the premier of the state of New South Wales, which includes Sydney.

“Terrible timing, shockingly insensitive,” Minns told radio station 2GB.

“We understand that there is concern about innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but to do it … on 7th, seems like they are glorifying the actions of these Hamas terrorists, and not the circumstance of those that are living in Gaza.”

Hamas also took some 251 people hostage in the attacks, with 20 thought to still be alive in Gaza. 

Palestinian activist lawyer Ramia Abdo Sultan, who is scheduled to speak at the event, said in a video on the group’s Instagram account that Palestinians had been silenced and were not allowed to mourn or grieve their loved ones.

“Our own prime minister in Australia has decided to completely disregard the thousands of Palestinians that have died over the past two years,” she said.

Pro-Palestine protests have been happening in both Sydney and Melbourne almost every weekend, with some attended by thousands.

A rally is planned at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, to which the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said it would object. Police had approached the court to stop the protest citing safety reasons. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said any protest events on October 7, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, would undermine the support for the “Palestinian cause.”

His centre-left government, alongside Canada and Britain, last month formally recognised the State of Palestine as part of an effort to push for a two-state solution.

Since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023, Australian homes, schools, synagogues, and vehicles have been targeted in antisemitic vandalism and arson, while Islamophobic incidents have also surged.

On Tuesday, a ‘Glory to Hamas’ message was spotted on a billboard and ‘Oct 7, Do it Again’ messages were painted on at least two walls in Melbourne. Albanese called the billboard message an “abhorrent” act and “terrorist propaganda.” 

NEW ZEALAND ATTACK

A man was charged on Tuesday in neighbouring New Zealand after a window at the home of Foreign Minister Winston Peters was smashed with a crowbar, though police did not specify the motive behind the attack.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday about the October 7 attacks, Peters said the violent targeting of private homes by some protesters was “a disgrace.”

“It has caused distress to our families and disturbed the peace of our neighbours. Means such as these corrupt the protesters’ ends, such as they are.”

Peters has come under pressure from protest groups and opposition parties after he announced New Zealand would not be following Australia in recognising the state of Palestine.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)