Support and hate for Israel on Australian streets

The Australian government has expressed its support for Israel but in Sydney some people celebrated the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed his distress for the hundreds of Israeli civilians killed and kidnapped by Hamas and criticised Australians who held pro-Palestinian demonstration in the face of Israel's trauma.

Ahead of a march held by Palestine Action Group on Monday evening, Albanese said the demonstration should be cancelled in light of the loss of life and what he described as the indefensible actions of Hamas. “I support people’s right to demonstrate their views,” he told 2GB’s Chris O’Keefe on Monday afternoon. But, he said the demonstration was not conducive to peace. "What we saw on the weekend was not two military forces engaging. This was people killing innocent civilians."

“There’s nothing to celebrate by the murder of innocent civilians going about their day. Some of those have been captured are young people who were attending a rave, enjoying life and enjoying each other’s company," he added in an interview on Channel 9.

But in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba, hundreds of people rallied in support of Hamas, celebrating the deaths of Israelis. The crowd chanted, “Allahu Akbar” and Sheikh Ibrahim Dadoun told the crowd, “I’m smiling and I’m happy. I’m elated. It’s a day of courage, it’s a day of pride, it’s a day of victory. This is the day we’ve been waiting for.”