A wild mob of pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the lobby of an Australian hotel Wednesday night and laid siege to the Israeli relatives of Hamas hostages staying there.
The activists, armed with flags and signs with anti-Israel messages, had tracked the Israeli supporters to their hotel in the Victorian state capital of Melbourne around 10:00 PM.
The Israeli group had been speaking about their experiences earlier in the evening at the local Mount Scopus Memorial College.
When they returned to their accommodation with officials, including Israel’s deputy ambassador, they were met with the baying protesters, the Herald-Sun reported.
The protesters, some wearing Palestinian keffiyeh headscarves, unfurled signs reading “Stop Arming Israel, Free Palestine” and “Zionism is Fascism” and placed fake babies covered in blood across the hotel lobby while shouting insults through a loudspeaker.
The terrified Israeli delegation was taken to a secure police station while officers cleared the foyer.
The Israeli embassy said in a statement the delegation were “made to feel unsafe by a group of a screaming throng,” the Australian Financial Review reports.
One of the delegation, Mika Shani, 18, received good news on Thursday when she learnt her 16-year-old brother Amit had been released.
Pro-Palestinian protesters hold placards at Flinders Street Station on November 23, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
The Israelis had earlier this week met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penelope Wong, along with members of Jewish communities in Melbourne and Sydney.
They had lost family members and friends during the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists.
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