An Australian protester was filmed expressing support for three different terrorist organisations during an ‘anti-war’ street demonstration in Melbourne.
The man, who waved a Hamas flag, was one of 1,200 protesters who gathered at the Land Forces 2024 arms fair at the Melbourne Convention Centre on Wednesday morning.
Dressed in a hoodie, sunglasses and a cap, he was filmed shouting: “Hamas, Houthi, Hezbollah! Mashallah, Mashallah!”, the last phrase meaning “God willed it” in Arabic.
All three groups – Hamas, Houthi and Hezbollah – are considered terrorist organisations by the Australian government.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, was first placed on the list in March 2022 and is described as “an ideologically and religiously motivated violent extremist organization.”
Houthi, officially known as the Ansar Allah movement, is an extremist Islamist faction in Yemen, while Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed political party and paramilitary group in Lebanon.
The protester also wore a T-shirt with a black-and-white photo of Ayatollah Khomeini, the former Supreme Leader of Iran.
Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic of Iran after a bloody coup in which thousands of political prisoners were murdered.
The man (pictured), who waved a Hamas flag, was one of 1,200 protesters who gathered at the Land Forces 2024 arms fair at the Melbourne Convention Centre on Wednesday morning
He also wore a T-shirt with a black-and-white photo of Ayatollah Khomeini, the former Supreme Leader of Iran
In 1988, Khomeini issued an infamous fatwa ordering Muslims around the world to kill British novelist Salman Rushdie after the publication of his book The Satanic Verses.
The Booker Prize-winning novelist lost an eye in 2022 after an audience member ran onto the stage during a reading and stabbed him 15 times.
Hadi Matar, a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanese, was 24 at the time of the attack and is awaiting trial for attempted murder.
The protester at the anti-war rally in Melbourne was also seen in another video in which he repeated his pro-terrorist slogans.
The footage shows him walking towards the camera and saying in a clear Australian accent, “What are you afraid of, bro?”
This came after another protester was heavily criticised for wearing an Australian Air Force cadet uniform and clown make-up.
The woman, who calls herself Nikki on social media, was filmed in the background of a live news item, staring straight into the camera lens and casually eating a croissant.
Her cadet uniform was adorned with a badge that read “Zionism is Terrorism.”
At one point she ran up to Sky News reporter Georgie Dickerson and shouted: “You are complicit in genocide!”
Her appearance in the uniform of an Australian Air Force cadet sparked outrage, with online commentators calling for her immediate removal from the youth military program.
“This is absolutely appalling! The behaviour displayed here is completely unacceptable and deeply disturbing,” one person said angrily.
Scenes at Wednesday’s protests quickly turned grim, with some calling them the worst riots in history.
. Protesters set fire to trash cans and threw horse manure, rocks, rotten apples and even acid at police during the violent protest
‘Is this really the standard of individuals the ADF recruits? It is a dispiriting reflection on our armed forces and a sad day for all Australians, when this is the calibre of those charged with defending our nation.
‘This kind of behavior is a disgrace to an institution that should uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.’
When asked for comment by Daily Mail Australia, Nikki denied being a cadet, before giving a foul-mouthed response.
“F*** Israel, f*** the news, f*** the system, f*** cadets, f*** the ADF,” she wrote, followed by a love heart emoji.
Scenes at Wednesday’s protests quickly turned grim, with some calling it the worst riots in history.
During the violent protest, demonstrators set fire to trash cans and threw horse manure, rocks, rotten apples and even acid at police.
Riot police responded with rubber bullets and pepper spray.
The appearance of this woman in an Australian Air Force cadet uniform sparked outrage, with online commentators calling for her immediate removal from the youth military program.
Two dozen officers required medical treatment, while 33 protesters were arrested for various offences, including arson and assault on police.
Victoria Police Chief Shane Patton slammed the protesters, calling them “hypocrites” and claiming police were being “cautious” in their dealings with them.
Commissioner Patton said many protesters wanted to commit violence despite it being an anti-war demonstration.
“They were standing there with their face coverings, balaclavas and ski masks on. There was no snow there,” he said.
He said balloons containing diluted acid were thrown at officers, causing some officers to develop skin rashes.
“One was hit with a beer bottle. One had a can of baked beans thrown at him. It was appalling behaviour,” he said.
Commissioner Patton defended the actions of his officers and rejected calls for an independent investigation into their conduct.
On Thursday morning, the protests continued with two ABC security guards can be seen live on air fighting with aggressive protesters.