Protesters have marched through Australian capital cities waving Hezbollah flags and carrying photos of the organisation’s recently killed leader.
Thousands took to the streets in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday to walk in support of Palestine and Lebanon, amid the conflict in the Middle East.
Small groups of young men, many masked, were seen at the rallies in each city waving the red and green flags of Hezbollah, a militant and political group hailing from Lebanon, which has been listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.
Others, including both adults and children, held framed photos of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by an Israeli air raid overnight.
Liberal Senator James Patterson said the sight of Hezbollah flags at rallies in Melbourne and Sydney were ‘disturbing’ given it is designated by Australia as a terrorist organisation.
‘This is a clear contravention of 80.2HA of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. It’s time for police to enforce the law,’ he tweeted.
Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia they were ‘aware prohibited flags were seen at a demonstration in the Melbourne CBD’ on Sunday.
‘Victoria Police supports the right to protest peacefully and had a visible presence at the protest to ensure public safety,’ a spokesperson said.
Melbourne protesters were seen holding aloft framed photos of recently killed Hezbollah boss Hassan Nasrallah
The yellow and green flag of Hezbollah (pictured centre) could also be seen being waved by the Melbourne protesters
The protesters holding up symbols of Hezbollah were part of a larger rally being held in Melbourne
Rally organisers in Melbourne told AAP the group carrying Hezbollah flags was not affiliated with those running the demonstration
‘An estimated 600 people attended the demonstration and there were no arrests.
‘Appropriate referrals will be made to Australian Federal Police as the lead agency concerning prohibited symbols.’
Further comment has been sought from the AFP.
The group supporting Hezbollah were also heard chanting ‘labayka ya Nasrallah’ in Arabic, which translates roughly to ‘at your service, Nasrallah’.
Rally organisers in Melbourne told AAP the group carrying Hezbollah flags was not affiliated with those running the demonstration.
The rally called for the end of Israeli actions against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon
Islamic community leaders also said this group was not representative of the Muslim community in Australia or the protest, which was calling for Israel to stop military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, where they are fighting Hezbollah.
‘They are definitely a minority. An absolute, tiny minority,’ Islamic Council of Victoria’s president Adel Salman told The Australian.
‘For my own experience, my knowledge of the community, there is no support of Hezbollah, no love of Hezbollah, right now, this is all about support for the Lebanese people.
‘The community is concerned about the escalating violence, but our concern primarily is about what’s happening in Palestine, in Gaza, that’s still the main focus in the community.
‘And we have to be careful we don’t reduce the battle to one between Hezbollah and Israel, effectively this is an attack on Lebanon that is a sovereign country … and people are outraged.’
Some those waving showing support for Hezbollah, which is a designated terrorist group in Australia, wore masks
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke blasted those showing ‘any indication of support’ for a terrorist organisation, and threatened to cancel their visas.
‘It draws the immediate attention of our security agencies. There is a higher level of scrutiny if anyone is on a visa. I have made clear from day one, that I will consider refusing and cancelling visas for anyone who seeks to incite discord in Australia,’ he said.
Overnight, Israeli forces said Nasrallah had been killed during a massive air strike on Beirut, reportedly using 5,000-pound bunker-busting bombs.
Israel is currently fighting on two fronts, with the Hamas fighters in Gaza and the Iranian backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Sunday reiterated her call for Australians to flee Lebanon as soon as they can and said she was concerned about escalating violence.
An Islamic community spokesperson said the support for Hezbollah only represented a tiny minority of the protesters
Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr Dvir Abramovich told Daily Mail Australia the protest was a ‘deeply troubling display of hate’.
‘Hezbollah, responsible for countless civilian deaths has no place in “peaceful” protest,’ he said.
‘The display of their flag at this demonstration is a glorification of violence and terror that undermines the values of our diverse and democratic society.
‘This is not who we are as a nation and let’s not confuse freedom with the promotion of terror.’
‘We call on all community leaders and elected officials to unequivocally denounce this act.
He also urged law enforcement to investigate the incident and ‘take appropriate action’.
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