Anthony Albanese was rushed back into his car after abruptly cutting short a press conference outside a Melbourne synagogue that had been firebombed in a suspected terror attack.
Mr Albanese had planned to take questions from the media outside the synagogue, but the press conference ended abruptly when a crowd gathered around him, with some appearing to heckle him.
‘You are late,’ one woman shouted at Mr Albanese, appearing to take a swipe at Mr Albanese for playing tennis in Melbourne just a day after the attack, and for taking 48 hours to label it a terrorist event.
‘You let this happen, buddy,’ she shouted.
AFP officers were forced to shout at bystanders, urging them to ‘stand clear’ and ‘watch out, watch out, get back,’ as his motorcade attempted to depart.
Over the weekend Mr Albanese’s government was condemned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for fostering a rise in anti-Semitism in Australia.
Meanwhile, The Australian Jewish Association said anti-Semitism had ‘surged’ under the Albanese government.
‘Labor has stood by as ugly antisemitic protests have taken over our streets, week after week,’ Mr Gregory said.
‘They have stood by as ‘Free Palestine’ extremists have targeted Jewish Synagogues and schools. There was an antisemitic protest outside Sydney‘s Great Synagogue, just this week.
‘Labor has stood by as extremist Islamic preachers have preached toxic antisemitism. They have stood by as Jews were assaulted in the street and our universities were taken over by anti-Jewish radicals, setting up encampments.’
Israel‘s war in Gaza was sparked by listed terror group Hamas‘ attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1200 people and 250 hostages taken, according to Israel’s tallies.
The official death toll in Gaza has eclipsed 44,000, according to the local health ministry, with tens of thousands more missing or believed to be buried under rubble.
