A young nail technician accused of displaying the flag of a terrorist organization during a pro-Palestinian protest has lashed out but has yet to make a public explanation for what she allegedly did with the Hezbollah insignia.
Sarah Mouhanna, 19, found herself at the center of controversy last week when she was arrested by police and charged with displaying the symbol of a banned terrorist organization at a rally in Sydney, in the wake of Israel’s ground invasion.
Ms Mouhanna, who is believed to be the first person charged under Australia’s new banned symbols legislation, handed herself in to NSW police after detectives launched a public appeal to identify her.
She was released on bail pending a court appearance later this month and has returned to her three-day-a-week job at a salon in Sydney’s south.
Daily Mail Australia approached Ms Mouhanna after she performed a manicure on a client on Thursday, only to receive a fiery tirade from her and her boss, Tahilia Adonokakis.
‘This is my job! This is where I work,” Ms. Mouhanna snapped.
Sarah Mouhanna, 19, works three days a week as a nail technician – and lashed out when Daily Mail Australia approached her for an explanation for the charges brought against her this week
Ms Mouhanna vaped on Thursday morning while giving a female client a manicure
Mrs. Adonakis shouted in support, “Get out of my salon. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.’
Ms Mouhanna’s sighting comes days after the young teenager left her family’s lavish seven-bedroom Arncliffe home with a Louis Vuitton handbag worth $2,970 and Christian Dior slippers worth $1,190.
The teen then got behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class station wagon, valued at $165,000, and drove a short distance to a friend’s house in nearby Rockdale.
Ms Mouhanna was one of 30,000 people who attended a mass protest in Sydney on September 29 in support of Palestine and Lebanon, as the situation in the Middle East spirals out of control one year after the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis were killed.
At demonstrations in both Sydney and Melbourne, people were seen waving the yellow flag of Hezbollah, which has been listed as a terrorist organization in Australia since 2001, as well as photos of slain leader Hassan Nasrallah.
‘This is my job! This is where I work,” Ms. Mouhanna snapped when contacted by the Post this week
Salon owner Tahlia Andonakis (pictured with Ms Mouhanna) demanded that the Daily Mail Australia reporter leave the salon
The 19-year-old is no stranger to the finer things in life: On Tuesday, he steps out with designer accessories and drives a $165,000 Mercedes
Protests continued over the weekend and on Monday, the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks.
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict last year.
Tensions have risen further after Israel killed Nasrallah in an airstrike, launched a land invasion and decapitated the group’s leadership structure with booby-trapped pagers.
Photos of Sarag Mouhanna were released by NSW Police last month as part of their investigation into the Sydney public order incident
Before Ms Mouhanna’s arrest, Liberal Senator James Patterson said the sight of Hezbollah flags at the September 29 rallies in Melbourne and Sydney was “disturbing” as the group has been labeled a terrorist organization by Australia.
“This is a clear breach of 80.2HA of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. It’s time for police to enforce the law,” he tweeted.
Displaying flags representing a designated terrorist organization is a prohibited offense if it is considered incitement to hatred and violence against other groups, and has been widely condemned by politicians, police and Jewish organizations.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw described the display of Hezbollah flags as “un-Australian” and an offense under federal law.
“If they fly these flags, especially the flags of Hezbollah and Hamas, action will be taken,” Commissioner Kershaw said.