Daves2017 wrote on Apr 25
th, 2025 at 6:14pm:
I personally don’t see a link between the welcome to country ceremony and the Anzac tradition/ ceremony.
It’s ( welcome to country) hasn’t been part of the 110 year old Anzac tradition.
It’s a very new “ add on”.
Regardless, the Anzac ceremony is no place for heckling.
Agree.
But we've seen much worse.
There were scenes of chaos at the Opera House as the demonstration was hijacked by radical Muslims - some wearing black masks - who threw lit flares at police and chanted 'bugger Israel' and 'bugger the Jews' beneath the steps of the iconic harbouside venue. At one point, there were even chants of 'gas the Jews'.
Daily Mail Australia witnessed a large crowd of men attempting to set light to an Israeli flag with firecrackers before stamping on it and tearing it to shreds.
Cries of 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great in Arabic) and 'death to the Jews' rang out as some members of the crowd swarmed towards the police barrier, brandishing torn pieces of the Israeli flag - despite the rally organisers calling for protesters to respect the police.
Over 100 cops formed a ring of steel along the steps of the Opera House and didn't intervene when flares or other projectiles were thrown at them. Instead, they placed the lit flares in buckets of water as acrid smoke filled the air.
As protesters arrived at Town Hall earlier in the evening, a man clutching an Israeli flag was dragged away by three police officers for 'disrupting the peace' - before he even had a chance to unfurl it.
In an video of the incident taken by Daily Mail Australia, the man can be heard repeatedly saying 'I've done nothing wrong'. An officer told him: 'You've been arrested in relation to a breach of the peace.' A speaker then told the booing crowd: 'Zionists don't deserve our attention.'
In total, Daily Mail Australia witnessed three individuals attempt to fly an Israeli flag before being chased away by protesters or arrested by the police 'for their own safety'.
Abigail Lane, 23, a social care student originally from Tasmania, had an Israeli flag with the word 'peace' taken from her by police.
'A police officer came and snatched it out of my hands and said: "Why the hell are you going in there with that sign? What the hell do you think you're doing?",' she said.
'I said: "I'm not Palestinian, I'm not Israeli. I'm just Irish-Australian and I don't like that we are inciting hate here in Sydney. My sign said love not hate".
'I don't think inciting more anger and violence is the solution.'
Shockingly, NSW Police felt compelled to warn Sydney's Jewish community from entering Sydney's CBD on Monday evening over safety concerns.
'NSW police are urging the community not to attend the Sydney Opera House or Town Hall this evening,' an email from the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies to members read.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said he 'deplored' the rally and described it as being 'against the tenets of our multicultural community'.
'We lit up the Opera House in support of innocent people who have had their lives slaughtered or loved ones kidnapped,' Mr Minns told Sunrise.
'The community expectation from the vast majority of people I have spoken to in the past 48 hours has been horror at the actions of Hamas and also the demonstrations that have taken place in Sydney in the past 48 hours.'
Mr Albanese earlier called on pro-Palestinian protesters to abandon the rally, claiming there was 'nothing to celebrate from the loss of innocent lives'.
'I just find it abhorrent and it should be condemned, but unequivocally by everyone,' Mr Albanese told 2GB's Drive with Chris O'Keefe.
Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association said 'Australians should be very worried'.
'The police gave a warning for Jews not to come into the area,' Mr Gregory said.
'Think about that. Imagine if there were mobs hunting blacks or gays in Sydney's CBD.
'Imagine if the police warned blacks or gays not to come into Sydney's CBD.'