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A massive anti-Israel rally on the steps of the Sydney Opera House has sparked political condemnation and an investigation by Australian police after protesters were filmed chanting, “Gas the Jews.”
Around 1,000 protesters gathered outside Sydney’s iconic performing arts hall late Monday carrying flares and Palestinian flags and chanting “Gas the Jews,” “F–k the Jews” and “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is great”), the troubling footage shared by the Australian Jewish Association showed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the chants “reprehensible” and “just appalling,” ABC News reported.
“I think we should all be concerned,” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong added on ABC Radio National, according to the Guardian.
“There is no place in Australia for antisemitism or prejudice or hatred of any kind and we should all stand firm against the sort of antisemitic language that unfortunately some engaged [in] — just as we should stand firm against all prejudice.”
The protest came just about three days into 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 injured — including entire families, the elderly, and revelers at a music festival in the Negev.
Protest organizers Palestine Action Group Sydney defended it as “peaceful,” distancing itself from “a tiny fringe” of antisemitic attendees responsible for the chants.
“From our observations [the chanting] occurred for less than one minute and was not an ongoing chant,” the group wrote.
“They were quickly condemned for their chants and asked to leave. Long-standing Palestinian organizers and activists, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim elders attending the protest were disgusted and deplored by the action,” they continued.
“This is not what our movement stands for.”
Despite the group disavowing the footage, it quickly went viral and drew a police investigation amid criticism for the rally being allowed to go ahead.
“This is not about us condoning, supporting, facilitating any process … This is about us providing for the public safety,” Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke told ABC News of the decision for the event to be allowed to go ahead.
The NSW Police has launched an investigation into the event, and Minns warned that those found to have participated in “racial vilification or incitement of hatred or incitement of violence” would be charged, the Guardian said.
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