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Federal Liberal frontman James Paterson said the presence of Hezbollah flags at a pro-Palestinian protest was “disturbing” as the Home Secretary warned of visa cancellations for anyone seeking to stir “disunity” in Australia.
The rally in Melbourne was part of a national day of action for Gaza, with thousands of people also taking to the streets in Sydney and other cities.
A small group with Hezbollah flags – some holding framed photos of the Lebanese militant group – joined the event in Melbourne as the speeches ended and people began marching.
Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Friday amid escalating tensions in the region.
Paterson said the presence of Hezbollah flags at the meeting was “disturbing” as the organization has been labeled a terrorist organization by Australia and called on police to enforce the law.
Victoria Police said displaying terrorist symbols was a Commonwealth offence.
“[We] supports the right to peacefully protest and was visibly present at the protest to ensure public safety,” the report said in a statement.
“Appropriate references will be made to the Australian Federal Police as the lead agency in relation to prohibited symbols.”
Home Secretary Tony Burke said: “Any indication of support for a terrorist organization is unequivocally condemned.”
“It attracts the immediate attention of our security services. There is a higher level of control when someone has a visa. I have made it clear from day one that I will consider refusing and revoking visas for anyone who seeks to stir up discord in Australia. “
Organizers of the meeting told AAP the group had no links to those leading the demonstration.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government condemns “any indication of support for a terrorist organization” such as Hezbollah.
“It not only threatens national security, but also fuels fear and division in our communities,” she wrote on X.
“All of us – including every political leader – must work together to reject terrorism and extremism.”
The group was far outnumbered by peaceful demonstrators who showed solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinian communities.
Hezbollah confirmed that Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday, fueling fears that the conflict could spiral into a regional war.
‘A dark day for people in the Middle East’
Over the past year, weekly demonstrations have been held in Melbourne in solidarity with Gaza.
“You stand with Lebanon, you stand with Palestine,” Omar Hassan, of the Victorian Socialists, told fellow protesters.
“I want to say it’s a dark day for the people of the Middle East, and it’s a dark day here in Melbourne… but there are reasons to be cheerful, optimistic and hopeful.”
Some attendees stood under umbrellas bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag and the protest around the edge.
Darebin protester Margaret, who did not want her full name used, said she had attended many of the protests and was happy to come out despite the rain.
“I never thought we would still be doing this, but we have to, that’s all we can do,” she said.
‘Continued retaliation’ will not bring peace to the Middle East
Wong said on Sunday that there is “continuing retaliation” in the Middle East and fears that violence in Lebanon could escalate.
Nasrallah’s murder comes two months later the head of Hamas’s political wing while in the Iranian capital Tehran.
It also follows used by Hezbollah exploded simultaneously across Lebanon. The blasts killed at least 39 people, including some children, and injured nearly 3,000 in an attack largely blamed on Israel, which did not respond directly to the attack.
“The continued retaliation … will not bring peace, nor will it bring security. That’s why Australia and others, including the United States and Britain, have called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and for diplomacy to try to resolve it. Wong told Sky News on Sunday.
“Because we’ve seen so many people, so many people are dying.”
Wong reiterated her call for Australians to flee Lebanon as quickly as possible, saying she was concerned about escalating violence.
Opposition Leader Bridget McKenzie said the killing was a step that “had to be done to show violence” to prevent further escalation.
McKenzie was also critical of Wong’s recent one in which she reiterated the federal government’s call for an Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution and called on the UN Security Council to set a “pathway” for such a deal.
“What Penny Wong is advocating on the UN floor is absolutely playing domestic politics with a very, very serious situation,” she told ABC’s Insiders.
“It destroys our decades-long, bipartisan approach to a negotiated two-state solution in the Middle East.”
According to Israeli authorities, Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages.
The attack sparked an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
In Lebanon, more than a thousand people have been killed and six thousand injured as a result of Israeli attacks in the past two weeks, according to the Ministry of Health. It is estimated that more than 200,000 are displaced.
