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b728x90 ATF_LB_1" data-class=".banner.b728x90.ATF_LB_1" data-old-name="ATF_LB_1" data-name="header_billboard" data-size="[[970, 250], [728, 90]]" data-account="178876888" > <script type="text/javascript"> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-ATF_LB_1"); }); </script> </div></div> <div class="sidebar-control">home page</div> <div class="article-content-container sticky-sidebar-relative"> <div class="article-wrap"> <header> <div class="above-headline"><span class="label"><span class="label" data-text="OUR SAY">OUR SAY</span></span><span class="overline empty"></span></div> <h1 class="headline">Ugly face</h1> <h2 class="underline">Last week was just that incident's logical evolution and continuation.</h2> <div class="under-headline"> <div class="wrap-byline"> <span class="byline"> By <a title="AJN STAFF" href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/writers/ajn-staff/">AJN STAFF</a> </span> <span class="date">September 19, 2024, 11:00 am</span> <span 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face&body=I found this on The Australian Jewish News and thought it might interest you: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.australianjewishnews.com%2Fugly-face%2F" onclick="return false;"> <span>email</span> </a> </li><li class="print"><a href="javascript:window.print();"><span>Print</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </header> <div class="media"><a rel="lightbox" href="https://static.timesofisrael.com/ajn/uploads/2024/09/AFP__20240911__36FV63M__v2__HighRes__AustraliaUnrestDemonstration-1.jpg"><img width="600" height="375" src="https://static.timesofisrael.com/ajn/uploads/2024/09/AFP__20240911__36FV63M__v2__HighRes__AustraliaUnrestDemonstration-1-640x400.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Anti-Israel protesters gather outside the Land Forces 2024 arms fair in Melbourne on September 11, 2024. (The Times of Israel: William West/AFP)" decoding="async" title="Anti-Israel protesters gather outside the Land Forces 2024 arms fair in Melbourne on September 11, 2024. (The Times of Israel: William West/AFP)" /></a><div class="caption">Anti-Israel protesters gather outside the Land Forces 2024 arms fair in Melbourne on September 11, 2024. (The Times of Israel: William West/AFP)</div></div> <div class="article-content"> <div class="the-content"> <p>In Melbourne last week, the whole of Australia saw the ugly face of what we have been dealing with for more than 11 months. <p>Images from the scene more closely resembled a lawless, dystopian wasteland than modern, peaceful and tolerant Australia. Commentators have shrewdly observed how a mob claiming to oppose violence so readily adopted it. That 24 police officers required medical treatment is a bloody indictment on the dishonesty of the pro-peace motives the rabble claimed to espouse. Unsurprisingly, members of the Greens joined and endorsed the group. <div id="div-gpt-ad-BTF_MPU_1" class="banner b300x250 BTF_MPU_1" data-class=".banner.b300x250.BTF_MPU_1" data-old-name="BTF_MPU_1" data-name="article_mrec_inline" data-size="[300, 250]" data-account="178876888" > <script type="text/javascript"> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-BTF_MPU_1"); }); </script> </div> <p>Our community has had a gutful. We can only hope that after this, our fellow decent Australians now agree. Scenes like last week tear at the very fabric of what makes Australia great for all its citizens. <p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was right to condemn the violence. But even he needs to face up to how his words and actions have contributed to the environment that enabled it. Since October 7, mobs like last week’s have been given free rein in our cities, week after week.</p> <p>It began on October 9 when there were no consequences for the thugs who celebrated mass murder, rape and kidnapping at the Sydney Opera House.</p> <p>Last week was just that incident’s logical evolution and continuation.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the federal government’s confused and contradictory stances and statements on the war in Gaza have offered no positive contribution to fighting the misinformation war.</p> <p>It is beyond time the government stopped playing factional and political games. Clear leadership is long overdue. At the federal level, Australia must stop publicly antagonising its fellow democratic ally as it fights an existential war. And from the Prime Minister on down, expectations must be set about how Australian citizens should act and behave towards one another.</p> <p>At the state level, police must be given whatever powers they need within reason to keep these antisocial hooligans in check.</p> <p>And every Australian who was appalled by what we witnessed last week needs to speak up.</p> <p>This is not just about Jews. As it is often said, we are just the canary in the coalmine. This is about the future of Australia, and the kind of society we wish to have.</p> <p>Inaction is not an option.</p> <p class="newsletter-promo moveto-p2"> <a href="/signup/?utm_source=ajn-articles&utm_medium=middle-link&utm_campaign=signup-buttons"> Get The AJN Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories </a> <a href="/signup/?utm_source=ajn-articles&utm_medium=middle-link&utm_campaign=signup-buttons"> Free Sign Up </a> </p> </div> <div class="article-topics"> <div>read more:</div> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/israel-at-war/">Israel at War</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/news/">News</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/melbourne/">Melbourne</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/october-7/">October 7</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/antisemitism/">Antisemitism</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/demonstrations/">Demonstrations</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/violence/">Violence</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/prime-minister-anthony-albanese/">Prime Minister Anthony Albanese</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/topic/police/">police</a> </li> </ul> </div> <ul class="social bottom"> <li class="facebook"> <a class="popup" data-width="670" data-height="546" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.australianjewishnews.com%2Fugly-face%2F"> <span>Facebook</span> </a> </li><li class="twitter"> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ugly+face&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.australianjewishnews.com%2Fugly-face%2F&via=aus_jewishnews"> <span>Twitter</span> </a> </li><li class="whatsapp"><a target="_blank" href="https://wa.me?text=The Australian Jewish News: Ugly+face https%3A%2F%2Fwww.australianjewishnews.com%2Fugly-face%2F"><span></span></a></li><li class="email open_mailto" data-article="1294282" data-lang="eng" data-site="The Australian Jewish News" data-title="Ugly face"> <a target="_blank" href="mailto:?subject=The Australian Jewish News: Ugly face&body=I found this on The Australian Jewish News and thought it might interest you: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.australianjewishnews.com%2Fugly-face%2F" onclick="return false;"> <span>email</span> </a> </li><li class="print"><a href="javascript:window.print();"><span>Print</span></a></li> </ul>   <div id="comments" class="comments"> <h5>comments </h5> <div class="fb-comments" data-href="http://www.australianjewishnews.com/ugly-face/" data-numposts="5"></div> </div>  </div> </div> <aside class="sidebar sticky-sidebar"> <div class="sticky-sidebar-wrap"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-BTF_SKY_1" class="banner b300x250 BTF_SKY_1" data-class=".banner.b300x250.BTF_SKY_1" data-old-name="BTF_SKY_1" data-name="article_half_page_sidebar" data-size="[300, 250]" data-account="178876888" > <script type="text/javascript"> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-BTF_SKY_1"); }); </script> </div>    <div id="div-gpt-ad-BTF_MPU_2" class="banner b300x250 BTF_MPU_2" data-class=".banner.b300x250.BTF_MPU_2" data-old-name="BTF_MPU_2" data-name="article_mrec_sidebar" data-size="[300, 250]" data-account="178876888" > <script type="text/javascript"> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-BTF_MPU_2"); }); </script> </div> </div> </aside> </div> </article> </div> <div class="ajax-sidebar main"></div> </div> <script> ( function ( body ) { 'use strict'; body.className = body.className.replace( /\btribe-no-js\b/, 'tribe-js' ); } )( document.body ); </script>   <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PDHTZLL" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden" aria-hidden="true"></iframe></noscript> <script> /* <![CDATA[ */var tribe_l10n_datatables = {"aria":{"sort_ascending":": activate to sort column ascending","sort_descending":": activate to sort column descending"},"length_menu":"Show _MENU_ entries","empty_table":"No data available in table","info":"Showing _START_ to _END_ of _TOTAL_ entries","info_empty":"Showing 0 to 0 of 0 entries","info_filtered":"(filtered from _MAX_ total entries)","zero_records":"No matching records found","search":"Search:","all_selected_text":"All items on this page were selected. 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