Anthony Albanese heckled at Lakemba Mosque by protesters during Eid prayers over Israel stance
Updated ,first published
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was surrounded by protesters shouting “shame” and “shame” during Eid prayers at the Lakemba Mosque on Friday morning, forcing him to flee in a hurry.
Albanese was attending prayers marking the end of Ramadan with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
One of the sources of anger was Albanian support for Israel; Those in the crowd cited the wars in Gaza and Lebanon as the key to their frustration.
Others cited police intervention during a protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog in February, when Muslim worshipers at City Hall were forcibly removed.
Neither the prime minister nor Burke addressed the angry crowd. Participants shouted over a speech by Gamel Kheir, secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, which owns and operates the mosque.
Kheir was giving one of the speeches traditionally given after prayers; Albanese and Burke were sitting right in front of him. The crowd formed a circle around the official party, silencing Kheir and demanding to know why the prime minister had been invited.
“Why is he here? Get him out of here! This is a disgrace,” one man shouted as the mosque event descended into chaos.
While some called for calm and for protesters to sit and listen to the speeches, the crowd remained unvoiced, even as Kheir called for stronger interaction with politicians and the government.
This imprint He understands that there were initial talks for Alban to speak at the event, but the mosque’s organizers requested that he just attend and listen.
Traditionally, the mosque hosts politicians from the state and federal levels for Eid prayers, and many have spoken in previous years.
“We must engage with our political leaders, have open and frank dialogue, not shy away and remain reclusive,” Kheir said as the crowd began to jostle.
As Kheir was trying to finish his speech, one man claimed: “You called him honorable when he was responsible for the deaths of millions of Muslims.”
Albanese and Burke then rushed to the mosque’s office amidst a crowd of people, some of whom tried to confront the prime minister.
“Why are you protecting him?” another man shouted as Albanese and Burke tried to leave the mosque.
“We have the right to be angry,” someone else shouted as the crowd jostled to get closer to the Albanian, who was also called a “stinking dog”.
Later, there was a standoff as protesters waited for Albanese outside the mosque’s office and organizers tried to find a way to bypass them.
Albanese managed to escape through the back door but was chased by the crowd. Some shouted “Alba-tizi” after her, a play on her name by combining it with the Arabic word for hip.
Others shouted “shame on you” until Albanese walked away.
The Prime Minister downplayed the incident at a press conference later on Friday, telling reporters that “the reception has largely been incredibly positive”.
“I walked through the crowd towards the mosque and not a single person disturbed me. There were a few hackers inside.”
“This was about respecting Eid al-Adha, which is a very important day for the Muslim community there.”
Albanese also said some of the anger directed at him was based on the government’s decision to ban “extremist organisations”. None of the protesters mentioned this.
Ibrahim Seklaoui, 29, one of the men who shouted at the leader, said it was “a shame he was sitting there” and said the anger in the crowd reflected how Australia’s Muslim community felt.
“He wants to come here after shaking hands with the Israeli president with blood on his hands. This means that our prime minister has blood on his hands. It is a disgrace to come here and act as if nothing happened,” he said.
He said Albanese’s involvement showed “disrespect” to the Muslim community because “when one of us bleeds, we all bleed”.
“So you want to watch our brothers abroad suffer and then come here and be welcomed with open arms? Everyone here has pain in their hearts.”
Kheir said after the incident that he “respected people’s opinions” and knew something “controversial” was about to happen.
“I think society has shown great courage in welcoming it, given what’s happening abroad. There are always differences of opinion in society, and we’re not saying what’s right or wrong here.”
Kheir denied that much of the community was equally angry, but said: “I believe they have the right to be angry.
“I can’t confirm what or how they did it, but they have some valid arguments. I think it shows that society wants to do this and needs to vent its anger at politicians.”
“But maybe not the way it’s done today.”
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Mostafa Rachwani is a Parramatta reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously a Community Affairs correspondent for Guardian Australia.Connect via email.
