Peter Dutton has called for the Victorian premier to invoke pandemic-era police powers to block planned pro-Palestinian events this weekend.
While NSW Police, with the backing of Premier Chris Minns, has launched court action to prevent protests in Sydney from going ahead, Victoria Police says it has no powers to halt any rally.
Police will instead deploy more officers over the weekend and will be given extra resources throughout the month, with Premier Jacinta Allan asking protesters planning to mark the anniversary of October 7 not to demonstrate this weekend.
In addition to a planned protest on Sunday, the Free Palestine Coalition Naarm will hold a vigil on Monday, which organisers say will involve a “silent procession”
Both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader — increasingly divided over the foreign policy ramifications of the escalating conflict in the Middle East — have called for the events not to go ahead.
But Peter Dutton went a step further on Thursday, slamming Ms Allan for not following NSW’s lead and demanding she use her powers to stop what he called “a celebration of death”.
“If there is a will, there is a way. Premier Malinauskas in South Australia is making similar steps, but here in Victoria, Premier Allan is hiding behind an argument of convenience,” Mr Dutton said.
“The Premier of Victoria had great capacity, she was part of a government that deployed the police force here in Victoria during the course of COVID to enforce the rule of law and I think the Victorian Labor Party should have the same resolve in relation to this issue and I’m sure there are laws available and that will be an issue for the Premier.”
Ms Allan later responded, telling reporters that police “already have all the powers they need” to respond to any protest activity.
“Attending a protest on October 7 is not something that is appropriate in any way. I’m not going to cut across operational decisions,” she said.
She labelled Mr Dutton as “divisive” for his earlier comments.
“I’ll continue to respond to what Victoria Police advise me, not what the divisive federal leader of the opposition who, when he comes into town, thinks is an appropriate way to run a commentary on how we are best placed to support a grieving community here in Melbourne,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sydney protest organisers have vowed to go ahead with their planned Sunday protest and October 7 vigil — even if the application lodged by police to the NSW Supreme Court is successful.
Mr Minns said police would have “more powers to prevent a march or unauthorised rally through Sydney’s streets” this weekend.
Josh Lees from Palestinian Action Group said the October 7 vigils would be a chance for “Palestinian and Lebanese people to grieve for the thousands of people who have died, and for their loved ones”.
Mr Minns said he believed a vigil on Monday was “not the right thing to do”, given it was the one-year anniversary of a “devastating terrorist attack on Israel”.
He said there was “genuine police scepticism” about the nature of the event, pointing to the events on the steps of the Opera House last October.
“We don’t want a repeat of that,” he said.
Mr Minns confirmed he would be attending a vigil organised by the Jewish community on Monday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said October 7 was a “day of grieving and remembrance, and should be honoured as such”.
“I would hope that Australians would ensure that it can be honoured with respect and solemnity. It is a solemn occasion. It’s not an occasion for protest,” she said.
