A heated debate erupted at the first major rally in Melbourne since the Bondi massacre, with a prominent leader of Australia's Palestinian movement making controversial remarks. Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, addressed the crowd, criticizing figures who linked the pro-Palestine protests to the terror attack and labeling such attempts as racist and shameful. He also expressed disappointment in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's establishment of a royal commission into antisemitism, arguing it creates a 'hierarchy of hate'.
During the rally, Mashni directed a 'f--- you' at South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who supported the Adelaide Festival's decision to exclude Palestinian author Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah from the Adelaide Writers' Week due to 'cultural sensitivity' concerns. Mashni deemed this move shameful, defending Abdel-Fattah as 'our best and brightest'.
The rally's focus was on protesting Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit, which Albanese invited to show support for Jewish Australians after the Bondi attack. Mashni labeled this gesture antisemitic, conflating Australian Jews with the Israeli state. Herzog's visit is controversial, as he is named in a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, with his statements being cited as evidence of genocidal intent.
The Free Palestine movement's attempts to decouple Zionism from Judaism were also discussed. Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, argued that Zionism is the right to a Jewish homeland, similar to Greek or Ukrainian Australians' pride in their heritage. However, Ohad Kozminsky, a Jewish Council of Australia executive member, disagreed, stating that the public is being presented with a false choice.
The rally saw the controversial phrase 'globalize the intifada' being chanted, which critics view as a call for violence. Jasmine Duff, a speaker at the event, defended the phrase, explaining that 'intifada' means uprising in Arabic. The event concluded with chants of 'Death to the IDF' and 'All Zionists are terrorists', with Aghion noting that the NSW government is considering declaring such chants illegal.
