Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were heckled at a Sydney mosque, where protesters branded them ‘genocide supporters’ and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’.
The confrontation erupted at Lakemba Mosque about 7.30am on Friday as the two politicians attended prayers with the Lebanese Muslim Association which sits within Burke’s electorate of Watson to mark the end of Ramadan, one of the most sacred dates on the Islamic calendar.
Burke and Albanese had been listening as Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir urged worshippers to reconsider the community’s disengagement from government, warning it had left them with little influence over the war in Gaza, rising Islamophobia and policies affecting their lives.
Moments later, a small number of angry protesters began shouting ‘get them out of here’, ‘shame’ and ‘disgrace’ as Albanese and Burke. who had removed their shoes, sat on the prayer hall floor in their socks among hundreds of worshippers.
The protest against the Prime Minister and the Home Affairs Minister was organised by controversial activist group Stand4Palestine.
Questions have been raised about Stand4Palestine’s links to the fundamentalist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, which it denies. Hizb ut-Tahrir was formally banned as a hate group on March 5 following legislative changes introduced after the Bondi attack.
‘How dare you come here,’ Mukhlis Mah, a Stand4Palestine organiser, said before he was escorted out of the mosque. ‘This is our sacred place – why are you inviting him here today? The shame is on you.’
Other hecklers shouted, ‘boo Tony Burke, boo Albanese,’ and called the Prime Minister a ‘putrid dog’.
Mr Kheir continued his speech, with one heckler shouting: ‘You called him honourable. He’s responsible for the deaths of 1 billion people, 1 billion of our brothers and sisters. You don’t represent us anymore.’
Tense scenes unfolded at Lakemba Mosque as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were heckled during early-morning Eid prayers
Asmall number of angry protesters began shouting ‘get them out of here’, ‘shame’ and ‘disgrace’ as Albanese and Burke, who had removed their shoes, sat on the prayer hall floor in their socks among hundreds of worshippers
Mukhlis Mah being pulled from Lakemba Mosque
Both Albanese and Burke remained until the end of the speech, which was held to mark the end of Ramadan, before leaving via a side exit to avoid a large crowd that had gathered on the mosque’s steps.
Later, the Prime Minister posted photos from the event on social media but did not mention the heckling, before being asked about it at a press conference, where he thanked organisers for the ‘very warm reception that occurred’.
‘There were 30,000-plus people at Lakemba this morning – overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive. I walked through the crowd to the mosque and not a single person heckled me. There were a couple of hecklers inside. they were dealt with,’ Albanese said.
‘Contrary to what’s been suggested, no one was rushed out. We just sat there – it was dealt with. It was dealt with by the community themselves because overwhelmingly they did not want that to occur.
‘Yes, there were a couple of people who were heckling. Some people don’t like the fact that we have outlawed extremist organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir, and that brought a response from a couple of people.
‘But if you’ve got a couple of people heckling in a crowd of 30,000, that should be put in that perspective.’
NSW Police said officers removed a 33-year-old protester from the mosque before issuing him with a move-on direction, which he complied with.
Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah slammed Albanese and Burke’s invitation as a ‘reward for supporting the genocide and destruction of our people and homelands’.
Anthony Albanese arrives at Lakemba Mosque before he was heckled by a small group of protesters
Friday’s gathering was the first Eid event in years where federal MPs had been formally invited following a years-long boycott
‘There is no dua (Islamic prayer) strong enough against the traitors who invited them,’ she wrote.
‘The blood of Palestinians and Lebanese and Iranians is on the hands of the LMA.
‘I hope your grants and selfies are worth it
‘There should have been an uprising in that sacred place.’
In a statement, the Lebanese Muslim Association said it was aware that ’emotions are high’ but defended the politicians’ visit.
‘We also need to be clear – choosing to engage with elected leadership of this country is not a betrayal of those concerns,’ in regard to wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
‘Walking away from engagement has not advanced out community, nor has it changed outcomes overseas.
Albanese appeared tense as the protest broke out
Crowds celebrating Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan, at the Lakemba Mosque
‘It has not reduced Islamophobia here, and it has not strengthened our ability to influence decisions that affect us.’
Before the protest erupted, Mr Kheir had given a speech reflecting on the decision to cut ties with government over its stance on Gaza.
‘In response to the positions of the state and federal governments in defending Israel’s actions, we as a collective community decided to actively disengage from any contact or communication with government, police and the wider Australian community,’ he said.
‘However, while this isolationist policy served an initial purpose, we must now ask how effective it has truly been.’
He warned of what he described as a growing far-right anti-immigration agenda and rising threats directed at Muslims, including incidents targeting the mosque itself.
‘We have seen the dramatic rise of the far-right anti-immigration agenda, so proudly represented by the likes of Pauline Hanson and certain elements of the Coalition party.
‘We have seen the extreme rise in Islamophobia and targeted attacks on the Muslim community, both in the media and in public. This very mosque has had four threats already.
‘We have seen the withering away of our freedoms and, worse still, the Israeli genocide in Gaza, now threatening to engulf the whole Middle East, continues unabated.’
Calling for a shift in strategy, he said Muslims needed to have ‘deep, intellectual discussions’ about how best to engage with political leaders, the media and the wider public moving forward.
‘We can neither totally disengage, nor can we invite politicians to our place of worship … to make us feel good about ourselves but never genuinely have a robust and effective communication with them.’
Friday’s gathering was the first Eid event in years where federal MPs had been formally invited following a years-long boycott.
