New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission has urged people to report any instances of Islamophobia, anti-Semitism or other discrimination as the conflict rages between Israel and Hamas.
It comes after reports of disorder at Auckland War Memorial Museum when a small number of Palestinian sympathisers gathering to rally against the building being lit up in Israeli colours met Israeli sympathisers there.
There were also ugly scenes in Sydney last Monday after thousands of pro-Palestinian sympathisers gathered on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, which was illuminated in blue and white in support of Israel.
Video from the event showed protesters also burning Israeli flags, setting off flares and chanting anti-Semitic phrases, including “gas the Jews”.
The director-general of security for the Australia Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have since jointly warned of the potential for “spontaneous violence”, the Syndey Morning Herald reported. Read more