Warring Jewish protests kept apart by police

Another Sunday, another pro-Palestinian protest in the heart of Melbourne. But this time, the demonstration had a different flavor: it was promoted as a "Jewish-led anti-Zionist rally, organised by an autonomous group of Jewish activists”. 

On the other side, was a second Jewish-led demonstration: the recently formed pro-Israel group, "The Lions of Zion," drew several hundred supporters to their counter-protest. Their goal? To arrive early and prevent the anti-Zionist rally from occupying Parliament steps.

As it turned out, they could have slept in. Police had already blocked off the entire area with an exclusion zone spanning more than 50 meters and were well prepared for any misconduct with hundreds of uniformed officers on standby, including the Public Order Response Team.

The physical separation enforced by police successfully prevented any direct confrontation between the groups. Each group was confined to its own echo chamber, a physical demonstration of the psychological space both occupy.

With the Pro-Israel counter-protesters well out of reach, the Pro-Palestinian protesters directed their hostility towards journalists. At one point, police had to escort a photographer down a laneway after they were surrounded by protesters. A Channel Seven News reporter and her cameraman faced similar treatment—chased out of the protest area, pushed, and struck with placards. A photographer from the Australian Jewish News was also targeted after being recognized by protesters and was followed as he attempted to leave the area.

As an independent photojournalist covering the event for The Jewish Independent, I was targeted and physically attacked. Early in the day, a protester aggressively approached me and took my photo. Within minutes my image had clearly been circulated among protester group chats as it didn’t take long after for chants of “Zionist media” and “Zionist Terrorist”  to follow me as I moved around the protest area. Protesters interrogated me about my identity, accused me of bias despite my neutrality, and hurled bizarre insults including “Zionists have small dicks,” “go back to Zio land,” and even “Are you Avi’s bitch?”—a reference to Avi Yemini from Rebel News, with whom I have no affiliation. One protester hit me with her placard and mocked me “boohoo old man” when I demanded she didn't touch me.

This wasn’t my first encounter with aggression at protests—I was randomly punched by a masked demonstrator at the violent Burgatory rally in November 2023. I had a solid bruise on my shoulder after that attack, but Sunday's attack was in some ways more aggressive. It was an attempt to get into my head and to deny my right to do my job.

It was clear many people didn't want the protests reported—they wanted reinforcement of their own narrative. 

Also disturbing, was a flag belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a proscribed terrorist organization under Australian law, which flew at the pro-Palestine protest. Flying such a flag could constitute a criminal offense under counter-terrorism legislation. Police confirmed they were aware but took no immediate action.

As frustrated locals navigated yet another weekend of road closures and tram disruptions, and a few tourists snapped selfies, the protests themselves were largely predictable theatre.

The pro-Israel side maintained a celebratory atmosphere early in the day, with music and flags. The larger “Jews for a Free Palestine” group distributed t-shirts claiming their Jewish, anti-Zionist identity, gave speeches and chanted, then they headed to the State Library, to join the broader weekly pro-Palestinian weekly demonstration.

I followed along briefly but soon grew tired—not just of the harassment but also of capturing the same images of the ongoing protests.

Effective policing prevented direct confrontations between the protesters on Sunday but highlighted the costs of these extensive protests: reduced tolerance for differing viewpoints, attacks on media freedom and deepening polarisation.