SYDNEY – Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has denounced as “deplorable” the actions of masked protesters who burned the Australian flag during a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne, even as she stressed the wider demonstration remained peaceful.
Thousands marched through Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday demanding an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Police in riot gear blocked a planned crossing of King Street Bridge, prompting scuffles and a splinter march back to the State Library.
Footage later showed masked demonstrators on Spencer Street bridge torching the Australian flag, spray-painting “Abolish Australia” on the roadway and chanting “Death to the IDF”.
“It’s deplorable, it’s a deplorable action,” Allan told Nine’s Today Show on Monday. She said the protest was otherwise peaceful but criticised those who hid their identities: “It’s completely cowardly to turn up masked. It can only signal intent.”
No arrests were made, though traffic was disrupted. Australia has no law specifically banning flag burning.
The Melbourne rally came a day after almost 100,000 people crossed Sydney Harbour Bridge in one of the largest pro-Palestine demonstrations in Australia’s history. Police, who had unsuccessfully sought to block the march on safety grounds, issued a mid-protest warning about possible crowd crushes but the event proceeded without major incident.
High-profile figures including former foreign minister Bob Carr, footballer Craig Foster, boxer Anthony Mundine and journalist Antoinette Lattouf were among those present.
