Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has again called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to recall parliament to give the Australian Federal Police powers to arrest protesters for promoting the Hezbollah symbol.
Yesterday, Dutton said it was unacceptable that people had not been arrested already after some pro-Palestine rally members displayed Hezbollah flags and symbols in Melbourne on Sunday.
Speaking this morning on Nine’s Today program, Dutton said he believed there were already provisions within existing laws that allowed the AFP to make arrests, but if there were not the government should reform the legislation as soon as possible.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says parliament should be recalled to strengthen laws to allow for charges to be laid on those who display terrorist symbols.Credit: The Age
“I believe that there are provisions within the existing law. If there’s not, the prime minister should recall parliament and deal with whatever deficiency there is in the law,” he said.
“This level of antisemitism that’s built up in our country, I think is deeply worrying. We’ve got armed guards now at Jewish schools and people in the Jewish community [are] particularly concerned about their own safety.”
Dutton said if Albanese did not reform the legislation, it would prove the “weakness” of the government.
“Why not show the strength of leadership that our nation requires? That is a very significant point to us, and I don’t believe any of [Albanese’s] predecessors, not Julia Gillard, not John Howard, not Bob Hawke, would have acted with such weakness,” Dutton said.
“Police aren’t there just to keep the peace. They’re there to enforce the law and to send a very clear message to people that we aren’t going to allow this sort of escalation.
“And the glorification of a man who is a leader of a terrorist organisation, it’d be like people out there glorifying Adolf Hitler or glorifying Osama Bin Laden. It’s completely unacceptable.”
This masthead does not suggest that any person pictured at these protests will or should be charged, given the context of their presence at the protest is not known.
Source Agencies
