The first major Melbourne rally since the Bondi massacre sparked intense reactions, with prominent Palestinian movement leader Nasser Mashni criticizing the federal government and others. The rally, protesting Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit, faced public pressure due to Victoria's bushfire emergency and the December 14 terror attack on the Jewish community. Despite calls for cancellation, the protest proceeded, with organizers settling for a 'static' protest outside the State Library. Police reported 500 attendees, while The Age estimated over 2000. Mashni addressed the crowd, condemning attempts to link pro-Palestine protests to the Bondi attack as 'racist' and 'shameful'. He criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's establishment of a royal commission into antisemitism, calling it a 'hierarchy of hate'. Mashni derided high-profile figures who supported the inquiry, labeling them as 'dullards' and 'has-beens'. He emphasized the movement's power, stating, 'We can close a city.' Mashni also criticized antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal and directed a 'f--- you' at South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who backed the Adelaide Festival's decision to exclude Palestinian author Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah from the Adelaide Writers' Week due to 'cultural sensitivity'. Mashni labeled this move 'shameful'. The rally focused on Herzog's visit, which Albanese invited to support Jewish Australians post-Bondi attack. Mashni labeled the invitation antisemitic, conflating Australian Jews with the Israeli state. Herzog, named in a genocide case, claims his words were twisted. Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, found Mashni's comments appalling, citing them as evidence of the need for a royal commission into antisemitism. Ohad Kozminsky, a Jewish Council of Australia executive member, disagreed, stating there's no choice between supporting Palestine and Jewish people. Jasmine Duff, a Students for Palestine co-convener, defended the phrase 'globalize the intifada', clarifying it as an Arabic word for 'uprising'. The rally concluded with chants of 'Death to the IDF' and 'All Zionists are terrorists', with Aghion noting the NSW government's plans to declare such chants illegal. Victoria Police reported no issues or arrests.
