Terrifying moment ute swerves onto footpath narrowly missing Israel supporters
Shocking footage has captured the moment a Toyota HiLux ute apparently drove onto a footpath and narrowly missed Israeli supporters.
A video of the incident, which unfolded in Caulfield, in Melbourne’s east, was shared by Jewish lawyer Menachem Vorchheimer on Monday.
The short clip shows a man and a woman jumping off the side of the road where a group of protesters were holding Israeli flags on Friday.
As they stepped back, the ute half-climbed the curb before continuing down the road.
Shocking footage has captured the moment a Toyota HiLux ute apparently drove onto a footpath and narrowly missed Israeli supporters
Mr Vorchheimer wondered whether police were investigating the act
“You can see that the car, driven by pro-Palestinian thugs, not only swerved towards the Jewish people, but even climbed onto the sidewalk,” he said.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed to Ny Breaking Australia that it had received reports of the incident on Saturday.
“Officers were advised that a HiLux car drove halfway onto the pavement on Hawthorn Road, Caulfield and struck a man and a woman at around 7.05pm on November 10,” he said.
‘A 46-year-old Armadale man and a 55-year-old woman from St. Kilda East, who were on the footpath at the time, moved out of the way of the HiLux to avoid being hit before the vehicle drove away.
‘The pair were unharmed during the incident.
‘Anyone who witnessed the incident, via CCTV or dashcam footage, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.’
Caulfield, an epicenter for Australia’s Jewish community, has become a hub of protests between Israeli and Palestinian demonstrators since war broke out between the two Middle Eastern states in early October.
Tension between the two opposing protest groups reached a boiling point on Friday after a fire at a pro-Palestinian burger shop, Burgertory, on Thursday.
Tensions in Caulfield, a center for the Australian Jewish community, reached breaking point on Friday after a pro-Palestinian burger shop (above) burned down
Caulfield, in Melbourne (above), has become a hub for protests between supporters of Israel and Palestine in the past month
Police are investigating the ‘suspicious’ fire but do not believe the incident was racially or politically motivated.
However, several pro-Palestinian protesters in the community have labeled the fire an anti-Palestinian hate crime.
A group of Palestinian supporters were seen arguing with several people outside the burned remains of Burgertory on Friday afternoon.
Residents of Caulfield, many of whom are still mourning the deaths of loved ones killed in Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, called the Palestinian presence insensitive.
Supporters of Palestine, however, defended similar demonstrations as necessary to help stop the incessant bombing in Gaza, which has been called a genocide.
Victoria Police said several people were arrested at the scene.