Protests leave Jews between racism and a hard place

Warring anti-immigration and pro-Palestinian protests meant Australian city centres did not feel like safe places last weekend, not for many people and certainly not for members of the Jewish community.

In Melbourne, anti-immigration protesters clashed with pro-Palestine protesters, resulting in violent scuffles. Police made 12 arrests at the rallies and two people were taken to hospital after a related neo-Nazi attack on Camp Sovereignty, a First Nations protest site. The anti-immigration rally was addressed by Thomas Sewell, a neo-Nazi and convicted criminal who performs Nazi salutes and exhorts his followers to join a “race war”.

In other cities, scenes were less dramatic but still disturbing. In Adelaide, a rally was ended after an altercation broke out when a man who identified himself as a member of the National Socialist Network took to the stage.

In Sydney, police were spread thin trying to cover an anti-immigration protest, a pro-Palestine protest and the city’s annual marathon, each in a different part of the city. In Brisbane, a multicultural food festival had to be protected from anti-immigration protesters.

None of the protests had a specific antisemitic agenda, but Jews know too much history to feel anything but terrified by angry people who call themselves patriots and spew their anger on those who are different.