An Australian protester was filmed shouting support for three different terrorist organisations at an “anti-war” demonstration on the streets of Melbourne.
The man, waving a Hamas flag, was one of 1,200 protesters who turned out for the Land Forces 2024 weapons exhibition at the Melbourne Convention Centre on Wednesday morning.
Wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and a cap, he was filmed shouting: “Hamas, Houthi, Hezbollah! Mashallah, Mashallah!” – the latter phrase meaning “God has willed it” in Arabic.
The Australian government classifies all three groups (Hamas, Houthi and Hezbollah) as terrorist organisations.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, was first included on the list in March 2022 and is described as “a violent extremist organization with ideological and religious motivations.”
The Houthis, officially known as the Ansar Allah movement, are an Islamic extremist faction in Yemen, while Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed political party and paramilitary group in Lebanon.
The protester was also wearing a T-shirt with a black-and-white image of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s former supreme leader.
Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic of Iran in a bloody coup that led to the murder of thousands of political prisoners.
The man (pictured), waving a Hamas flag, was one of 1,200 protesters who turned out for the Land Forces 2024 arms exhibition at the Melbourne Convention Centre on Wednesday morning.
He also wore a T-shirt with a black-and-white image of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s former supreme leader.
In 1988, Khomeini issued an infamous fatwa ordering Muslims around the world to kill British novelist Salman Rushdie following the publication of his book The Satanic Verses.
The Booker Prize-winning novelist lost an eye after an audience member attending a conference ran on stage and stabbed him 15 times in 2022.
Hadi Matar, a US-Lebanese citizen who was 24 at the time of the attack, is awaiting trial on attempted murder charges.
The protester at the Melbourne anti-war rally also appeared in another video where he repeated his chants of sympathy towards terrorists.
In the footage, he is seen walking towards the camera and leering: “What are you afraid of, bro, huh?” in a thick Australian accent.
This comes after another protester was heavily criticised for wearing an Australian Air Force cadet uniform while wearing clown make-up.
The woman, who calls herself Nikki on social media, He was filmed in the background of a live news segment, staring into the camera lens while calmly eating a croissant.
His cadet uniform was adorned with a badge that read “Zionism is Terrorism.”
At one point, he ran towards Sky News journalist Georgie Dickerson and shouted: “You are complicit in genocide!”
Her appearance in the uniform of the Australian Air Force Cadets sparked fury, with online commentators calling for her to be immediately expelled from the junior military program.
“This is absolutely appalling! The behaviour being displayed is absolutely unacceptable and deeply concerning,” one person said.
Scenes at Wednesday’s protests quickly turned ugly, with some describing them as the worst riots in living memory.
Protesters set fire to containers and threw horse manure, stones, rotten apples and even acid at police in the violent protest.
“Is this really the calibre of individuals the ADF is recruiting? It is a dismal reflection on our armed forces and a sad day for all Australians when this is the calibre of those charged with defending our nation.
“This type of conduct brings shame to an institution that is supposed to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.”
When asked for comment by Daily Mail Australia, Nikki denied being a cadet before issuing a rude response.
“Fuck Israel, fuck the news, fuck the system, fuck the cadets, fuck the ADF,” he wrote, followed by a heart emoji.
Scenes from Wednesday’s protests quickly turned ugly, with some describing them as the worst unrest in living memory.
Protesters set fire to containers and threw horse manure, stones, rotten apples and even acid at police in the violent protest.
Riot police returned fire with rubber bullets and capsicum spray.
The woman’s appearance in an Australian Air Force Cadet uniform sparked outrage, with online commentators calling for her to be immediately kicked out of the junior military program.
Two dozen officers required medical treatment, while 33 protesters were arrested on various charges including arson and assaulting police.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton lashed out at the protesters, calling them “hypocrites” and saying police had shown “restraint” in dealing with them.
Commissioner Patton said many of the protesters were intent on causing violence, despite it being an anti-war demonstration.
“They were there with balaclavas and ski masks. There was no snow there,” he said.
He said balloons containing diluted acid were thrown at police officers, leaving some officers with rashes.
“One was hit with a beer bottle. Another was hit with a can full of beans. It was atrocious behaviour,” he said.
Commissioner Patton defended his officers’ actions and rejected calls for an independent investigation into their behavior.
On Thursday morning, the protests continued with two ABC security guards were seen scuffling with aggressive protesters on live television.