Protesters have been pepper-sprayed and led away in handcuffs after a pro-Palestinian demonstration turned into violence outside a popular burger joint that burned down overnight.
Protesters from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian debate were seen at Princes Park, near the Burgertory restaurant in Caulfield, in Melbourne’s south-east, at 7pm on Friday.
Shocking footage showed a huge scuffle between the two groups, with many throwing punches as police tried to intervene.
Burgetory’s CEO Hash Tayeh, 32, had asked people not to protest after his restaurant went up in flames.
Victorian police are investigating the circumstances behind the fire, which they consider ‘suspicious’ but do not believe it was politically motivated.
Mr Tayeh, who turned his company into Australia’s largest independent burger chain after founding it in 2018, had sparked controversy when he shouted ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ at a rally in Melbourne a fortnight ago. his’ exclaimed.
A pro-Palestinian rally descended into chaos in Melbourne’s Caulfield on Friday evening
Police had to split opposing sides on opposite sides of the street to prevent violence during the Palestine-Israel protest on Friday evening
During Friday night’s protest, pro-Palestinian supporters and pro-Israel crowds lined either side of Hawthorn Road and shouted abuse at each other.
Israeli supporters lined the side of the street
Palestinian supporters lined the other side
Police tried to disperse the opposing groups, but were unable to do so without using pepper spray
A Victoria Police spokesperson said several protesters were arrested to ‘keep the peace’
At 7:30 p.m., a synagogue was forced to evacuate when protesters stormed into a park across the street
Several young men tried to attack through the police line
The police were largely able to prevent the collision
A former MP criticized the police response to the demonstration
Protesters formed outside the recently burned down Burgertory restaurant in Caulfield
This was the second night of protests in the suburb after a demonstration on Thursday evening
During Friday night’s protest, pro-Palestinian supporters and pro-Israel crowds lined either side of Hawthorn Road and insulted each other.
Both sides were draped in Israeli and Palestinian flags, while also shouting from megaphones.
The police had created a line of officers and closed the road to quell the chaos.
Young male Palestine supporters tried to run through the police line several times during the protest, prompting police to fire pepper spray.
Jewish attendees were evacuated from a nearby synagogue as the pro-Palestinian group stormed into the park across the road.
Members of the Jewish community had previously been warned to stay away from the burned-out Burgertory.
Victoria Police has been contacted for comment.
Earlier on Friday, tensions flared outside the restaurant when a group believed to be pro-Palestine began arguing with others.
Protesters can be seen in Caulfield on Friday evening
Hawthorn Road was closed for hours as the protest descended into chaos
Victoria police arrested several people after the scuffle to ‘keep the peace’.
“It is believed a verbal altercation occurred between approximately 15 people on Glen Huntly Road just after 2.30pm,” a spokesperson said.
‘A number of people were briefly detained in an attempt to keep the peace. One woman was briefly arrested because she could not identify herself.
“No one was injured during the incident.”
Ten firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze at the Burgertory restaurant after it caught fire shortly after 4am on Friday.
Mr Tayeh called the fire an “arson attack” and said it would “not shake my call for peace or silence me.”
“We are working closely with the authorities to investigate this alarming incident, and we are committed to assisting in any way we can,” he said.
“As an Australian of Palestinian descent and CEO of Burgertory, and as someone who cherishes life in our multicultural Australian society, I am deeply disturbed by the spread of rumors that we harbor anti-Semitic sentiments.
“I can’t emphasize enough that this couldn’t be further from the truth. My participation in pro-Palestinian rallies was driven by a desire for peace and ceasefire, not violence or division. I have lost 38 family members in Palestine and I want the violence to stop.”
Tayeh, 32, was filmed at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne on October 29, holding a loudspeaker and leading chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Some interpret the rallying cry as anti-Semitic because it essentially calls for the abolition of Israel by expanding the Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
He strongly rejected accusations that he held anti-Semitic views and claimed he was a “voice for peace.”