Pro-Palestinian organisations have been criticised for planning vigils for the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. Jewish organisations across the country will hold commemorations on Wednesday for those lost in the terrorist attack.
Jews Against the Occupation 48 will also hold a vigil in Sydney and Wollongong Friends of Palestine will gather 'to stop and remember the martyrs and all those who suffer and continue to resist'. The organisers of the Sydney vigil are using the slogan 'Don't let Israel steal the date' and said October 7 was also three years since air strikes began on Gaza in response to the attack. They said, according to the Israel Defense Force's timeline, its fighter jets conducted strikes in Gaza the same morning, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has condemned the pro-Palestine events being held on that day, labelling them 'heartless' and 'in poor taste'. He said he believed organisers chose the date to attract attention and feared the vigil would not prove be as peaceful as organisers may wish. 'There are some people suggesting it can be stopped, the constitution doesn't allow that,' he said. 'They can certainly do that, it's not against the law but as a citizen I've got a right to make a judgement on it too.' Mr Minns added: 'Police will do what they always do and that is keep the public safe.' He also asked his Labor colleagues not to attend. 'I can certainly speak for my cabinet and I can certainly speak for my senior colleagues but history has proven I can't speak for all of them,' he said. 'In all fairness, I don't know if anyone's [Labor MPs] going to go.'
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said October 7 was a 'solemn day' for Jewish and Israeli communities. 'I ask those people: Leave that day alone,' he said. 'Choose any other day in the calendar and carry on your obnoxious protest and divide society as you do. You can't be stopped, and that's fine, but this day belongs to the victims and we will remember them on that day.' Mr Ryvchin said he had been told there was concern from government such 'anti-Israel' rallies like this would foster extremism and antisemitism. He said especially in light of the Bondi Beach massacre in December last year, October 7 this year would also be remembered as an event that ushered in a new era of antisemitism.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane told 702 ABC Sydney she found 'the whole thing entirely sickening and reprehensible'. 'A lot of people are very distressed by what they're seeing in Gaza and should be able to protest,' she said. 'But this undermines that very intent of peace by having it on a day where 1,200 innocent people were slaughtered in the most brutal and unimaginable way, at a time when there was no retaliation by Israel.'