Australia’s prime minister was 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 the Lakemba Mosque – one of Australia’s largest – after being invited by community leaders to attend Eid prayers on Friday morning local time.
Several attendees accused the two men of being “genocide supporters”, shouting “boo” and “get out of here” as a mosque leader gave a speech calling on the government to better engage with Muslim Australians.
Much of Australia’s Muslim community is deeply upset by the government’s response to the war between Israel and Gaza and the rise of Islamophobia in the country.
A man who shouted at Albanese was removed from the mosque by police, but was later released without charge and told to leave, according to the Australian Associated Press news agency.
Once his speech was finished, the Prime Minister left the mosque in the middle of the crowd and continued to be questioned by several people, one of them asking: “Why is he here? Get him out of here! It’s a shame.”
Shortly after the event ended, the Lebanese Muslim Association – which runs the mosque – issued a statement saying Albanians were welcome at prayers and would “continue to open” their doors.
“We understand that emotions are running high, particularly given the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the devastation in Lebanon. These are not distant issues for our community,” he said.
“But we must also be clear. Choosing to engage with the elected leaders of this country is not a betrayal of these concerns. It is how we give them a voice.”
Albanese later told media that he was greeted by most of the approximately 30,000 people at the mosque, which has been the target of several threatening letters in recent months.
“Overall the reception has been incredibly positive,” he said, according to Guardian Australia.
He suggested that some protesters’ unrest could be due to his government’s recent moves to ban extremist organizations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group that calls for a single Islamic government in the Muslim world and has been accused of celebrating terrorism.
Earlier, Albanese posted about the visit on social media, writing that it was “an honor” to join the prayers, accompanied by smiling photos of him greeting worshipers.
During his speech at the mosque, community leader Gamel Kheir told attendees that “we can neither disengage completely nor invite politicians for a symbolic, low-cost photoshoot.”
The mosque also said in a social media post that Friday’s event was the first time the prime minister had been invited to attend prayers since the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Communal tensions – and reports of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia – have increased in Australia since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 72,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Friday’s incident is not the first time politicians have received mixed receptions at Eid events in recent years, with critics saying religious celebrations should not involve politics.
During last year’s federal election campaign, the conservative Liberal Party’s Jason Wood had to be escorted out of an Eid event after he was heckled at a Melbourne mosque.
The Albanian government, which joined the United Kingdom and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state late last year, has been criticized for its response to the conflict in Gaza and the Bondi mass shooting in December that killed 15 people at a Jewish event.
One shooter was shot and killed at the scene and the other is currently the subject of legal proceedings. Apparently inspired by Islamic State ideology, it was Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades.