Australia PM Anthony Albanese visited Lakemba Mosque for Eid al-Fitr in Sydney.
Australia’s prime minister has been heckled during an event at a Sydney mosque marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were at Lakemba Mosque – one of the largest in Australia – after being invited by community leaders to attend Eid prayers on Friday morning, local time.
Several attendees accused the pair of being “genocide supporters”, shouting “boo” and “get out of here” as a mosque leader gave a speech calling for the government to better engage with Muslim Australians.
There is deep upset within much of Australia’s Muslim community over the government’s response to the Israel-Gaza war and rising Islamophobia at home.
“Dear brothers and sisters, keep calm a little bit,” one of the organisers told the crowd, urging people to sit down and stop filming the incident. “It is Eid. It is a joyful day.”
Security guards were seen tackling one heckler to the ground before escorting him away.
Albanese and Burke left shortly afterwards, followed by heckling protesters who yelled, “Shame on you!”
Protesters also turned out in large numbers when Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited last month at Albanese’s invitation after the deadly Bondi mass shooting on December 14 that targeted the Jewish community.
Thousands attended a rally in Sydney, where 27 people were arrested after clashes with police.
NDTV
