Published: 10 February 2025
Last updated: 11 February 2025
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.
Protesters hurled bizarre insults including 'Zionists have small dicks' and 'go back to Zio land'
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.
A flag belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a proscribed terrorist organization, flew at the pro-Palestine protest.
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.
Comments2
Rachel Sussman12 February at 10:02 am
Nothing disturbs me more than to see our own brothers and sisters behave in such hateful ways. As far as I am concerned these so called Jews suffer from the ‘stockholm syndrome’ – they fell in love with the people who want to destroy them.
Of course it is ok for Jewish people to hold different political views, but this goes well beyond a ‘different view’.
First it projects self-denial that is hard to fathom, denial of one’s own right, heritage, and being.
Second, the level of hate with which it is carried is sickening and speaks for itself, for nothing that carries such hate can express a valid perspective…
These so called Jews are nothing but shameful, they are a good example of the psychological phenomenon that if someone tells you long enough how bad you are, you start to believe it and sadly end with a large dose of self hate and self loathing… I pity them, they are nothing but lost Souls…
Kate Gruwell10 February at 06:13 pm
My citizenship will never depend on stating Zionism is righteous. Somebody notify the crackdown on anti-Christian bias.