A furious Anthony Albanese accused the Greens of “deliberately and consciously” spreading misinformation about the war in Gaza and demanded his MPs condemn protests against MPs’ offices.
Jobs Minister Tony Burke also slammed the Greens, saying their leader Adam Bandt was knowingly peddling “deliberate misinformation”.
Responding to a question posed by independent MP Sophie Scamps about voters’ concerns about social cohesion, Albanese said communities across Australia were “distressed” by what is happening in the Middle East and “enough is enough.” .
‘Each of us has a responsibility to keep our community safe. Social cohesion is a national asset for all of us. All of us have the responsibility to defend and defend,’ he stated.
“It is unacceptable that misinformation is knowingly and deliberately spread by some Green members who have taken part in demonstrations, outside offices and knowingly misrepresenting motions that have been tabled in this parliament.”
A furious Anthony Albanese (pictured) accused the Greens of “deliberately and consciously” spreading misinformation about the war in Gaza and demanded his MPs condemn protests against MPs’ offices.
Jobs Minister Tony Burke also slammed the Greens, saying their leader Adam Bandt (pictured) was knowingly peddling “deliberate misinformation”.
Several high-profile Labor MPs and the US consulate in Victoria have had their offices vandalized by pro-Palestinian protesters in recent weeks, including Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who had red paint sprayed on the front of his office. election in Melbourne.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other Labor MPs and senators have complained that Green MPs have legitimized antisemitism by speaking at protests organized by pro-Palestinian militant groups.
Some MPs reportedly sought security advice and closed their offices out of concern for their safety.
The Prime Minister said the aspirations of the legitimate Palestinian community were being “undermined” by people engaging in activities that “completely alienated the Australian public”.
“Attacking people because they are Jewish because they disagree with some of the actions of the Netanyahu government is completely unacceptable,” he said.
“As political leaders we have the responsibility to lower the temperature, not inflame it.”
Speaking on a point of leniency, opposition leader Dutton backed Albanese’s call in a rare show of support and condemned protesters attacking MPs, calling a rise in antisemitism “completely unacceptable”.
“Those who seek, for their own political purposes and their own political advancement, to add fuel to this fire deserve the condemnation of this chamber,” he said.
‘We are now seeing the offices of elected members of parliament being attacked with red paint, with vile messages of hate, discrimination and anti-Semitism, and this should be condemned.
“And the Greens should condemn it rather than tolerate it… We should come together to make sure we condemn the unacceptable levels of antisemitism we see on our streets.”
Protesters march during a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside State Library Victoria in Melbourne, Sunday, June 2, 2024.
Police escort a woman during a ‘Never Again’ demonstration against anti-Semitism outside the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne, Sunday, May 19, 2024.
Dutton added that “we will take all necessary steps as a chamber to ensure that we condemn such acts of antisemitism in our country.”
“And today the Greens political party is duly and rightly condemned.”
Bandt denounced the debate as “a desperate attempt to detract from and distract from Labour’s complicity and support for the invasion”.
“I will not let the people who have supported the invasion of Gaza lecture me about peace and violence,” he said.
“Children are dying because the Israeli army has caused a famine.”
On Tuesday, Victorian Labor MP Michelle Ananda-Raja accused the Greens of stoking violence in Australia over the Gaza war.
‘I sat in this chamber when the leader of the Greens political party… accused Labor MPs of being complicit in genocide.
Activists with banners gather during a pro-Palestine rally outside the 2024 Victorian Labor state conference in Melbourne, Saturday, May 18, 2024.
Pro-Palestinian supporters march along Port Melbourne beach during a ‘national day of action’ on May 25, 2024.
“Within hours, an online campaign was launched calling for a ‘national day of action against Labor MPs complicit in genocide’,” he said.
‘Those were the exact words. The next day, the offices were vandalized and rendered unusable. The staff was scared. Scarce resources such as the police, AFP, cleaning and merchants were diverted.
‘The words spoken in this chamber reverberate across the country, tearing at our social fabric, and the gun goes off here.
“The Greens, with their signals, incite hordes in masks and keffiyehs, armed with their preferred weapon, self-righteousness, because it is the perfect justification for anything, even incitement to violence.”
