Protesters have marched through Australian capitals waving Hezbollah flags and carrying photographs of the organisation’s recently slain leader.
Thousands of people 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.
Demonstrations in each city saw small groups of young people, many of them masked, waving Red and green flags of Hezbollah, a militant and political group from Lebanon, which has been classified as a terrorist organization in Australia.
Others, including adults and children, held framed photographs of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by a Israeli air attack during the night.
Liberal senator James Patterson said seeing Hezbollah flags at rallies in Melbourne and Sydney was “disturbing” given Australia designates it as a terrorist organisation.
‘This is a clear contravention of section 80.2HA of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. “It’s time for the police to enforce the law,” he tweeted.
Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia they were “aware that banned flags were seen at a demonstration in Melbourne’s CBD” on Sunday.
“Victoria Police supports the right to peacefully protest and had a visible presence at the protest to ensure public safety,” a spokesperson said.
Melbourne protesters were seen holding up framed photographs of recently assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
‘It is estimated that around 600 people attended the demonstration and there were no arrests.
“Appropriate references will be made to the Australian Federal Police as the lead agency regarding prohibited symbols.”
Further comment has been sought from AFP.
The Hezbollah-supporting group was also heard chanting ‘labayka ya Nasrallah’ in Arabic, which roughly translates to ‘at your service, Nasrallah.’
Organizers of the Melbourne rally told AAP that the group carrying Hezbollah flags was not affiliated with those leading the rally.
Islamic community leaders also said this group was not representative of the Muslim community in Australia or the protest, which called on Israel to stop military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, where they are fighting Hezbollah.
‘They are definitely a minority. An absolute, tiny minority,” said Islamic Council of Victoria president Adel Salman. The Australian.
‘From my own experience, my knowledge of the community, there is no support for Hezbollah, there is no love for Hezbollah, at this moment, this is all about support for the Lebanese people.
‘The community is concerned about the escalation of violence, but our main concern is what is happening in Palestine, in Gaza, which remains the main focus of the community.
“And we have to be careful not to reduce the battle to one between Hezbollah and Israel; effectively, this is an attack on Lebanon, which is a sovereign country… and people are outraged.”
Melbourne protesters also waved Hezbollah’s yellow and green flag.
Home Secretary Tony Burke harshly criticized those who show “any indication of support” for a terrorist organization and threatened to cancel their visas.
‘It draws the immediate attention of our security agencies. There is a higher level of scrutiny if someone has a visa. “I have made it clear from day one that I will consider refusing and canceling visas to anyone seeking to incite discord in Australia,” he said.
Overnight, Israeli forces said Nasrallah had been killed during a massive airstrike in Beirut, reportedly using 5,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.
Currently, Israel is fighting on two fronts: Hamas fighters in Gaza and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Sunday reiterated her call for Australians to flee Lebanon as soon as possible and said she was concerned about the escalation of violence.
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dr Dvir Abramovich told Daily Mail Australia the protest was a “deeply worrying display of hate”.
“Hezbollah, responsible for countless civilian deaths, has no place in a ‘peaceful’ protest,” he said.
‘The display of your flag in 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 terrorism.”
‘We call on all community leaders and elected officials to unequivocally denounce this act.
He also urged authorities to investigate the incident and “take appropriate action.”