The Israel-Hamas conflict became a part of Australia’s New Year’s Eve broadcast, which an estimated one million viewers tuned into.
During the broadcast, singer-songwriter Angie McMahon expressed her political stance on the ongoing conflict.
“I hope you’ll all have a great night. Thanks again. Palestinians should be free,” she said between the songs.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation hosted annual broadcast that featured the likes of Harry Connick Jnr, Jessica Mauboy, and Grent Perez this year.
In another live music performance in Melbourne, protesters brought a Palestinian flag onto the stage while the singer stated their support for Palestine, as seen in a video on social media.
While millions of Australians celebrated the beginning of 2023, demonstrators also took to the streets of Melbourne CBD to call for a ceasefire.
The Australian Jewish Association criticised these actions in an X (formally Twitter) post, accusing the protestors of attempting “to ruin New Year’s Eve.”
“Is there any other matter that gets so much woke attention or is it only when they can connect it to Jews?” they said.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation office in Melbourne faced vandalism recently, with red paint splattered on windows and messages about the Israel-Palestine war scrawled across the building.
Video footage shared on social media showed two people wearing black clothing and one in a plastic poncho running toward the office before vandalising the exterior.
The video was sent in by an anonymous user and included a message from “concerned community members” declaring the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had “blood on your hands.”
Israel-Hamas Conflict In The Lead Up To The New Year
The New Year’s Eve demonstration came a few days after pro-Palestine protesters entered Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne on Boxing Day, bringing Australia’s largest shopping centre to a halt.Images and videos on social media showed the demonstrators wearing keffiyehs as well as masks, and sunglasses to hide their identity while unfurling the Palestinian flag near the food court.
Criticism was also directed at Pro-Palestinian protesters for storming Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne, one of the largest Christmas events of the year.
Videos on social media depicted protesters running along the stage, waving Palestinian flags and shouting slogans, and one individual snatching the microphone from the hosts to proclaim, “Children are dying in Gaza,” before being removed by security.
Anti-Defamation Commission chair and Jewish advocate Dvir Abramovich said ongoing pro-Palestine protests had turned Melbourne into a “battlefield of misery and conflict.”
“They are tearing to shreds Melbourne’s reputation as a tolerant, peaceful city, and I would not be surprised if this horror show will turn off potential visitors from coming here,” he told the Herald Sun.
