A protest outside Labor MP Andrew Giles鈥 office in Thomastown, Naarm/Melbourne, was called on February 23 in response to the growing number of Islamophobic attacks, including聽the February 13 at Epping Plaza.
Labor is downplaying these racial attacks, in deference to antisemitic ones.
Rally chairperson Omar Hassan described the attacks as a 鈥渟iege鈥 on Muslim people. He said it started with the 鈥渨ar on terror鈥 in the early 2000s 鈥渢hat brought terror and destruction to peoples across the Middle East鈥.
Anti-war Jewish activist David Glanz told the rally that the women were attacked for wearing their hijabs. He condemned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for 鈥渇anning Islamophobia鈥 in a bid for votes. 鈥淎s an anti-Zionist Jew, we must condemn all forms of racism.鈥
Dr Naser Alziyadat, speaking on behalf of Muslim Votes Matter, pointed out that the attacks were not isolated acts of hatred. He attributed them to 鈥渟ystemic racism in Australian society鈥.
Alziyadat said it was shameful that politicians were crafting 鈥渞acist political narratives鈥, including that 鈥淢uslims are terrorists鈥, in a bid to secure votes.
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Sue Bolton, a Socialist Alliance councillor in Merri-Bek who is standing for the seat of Wills, said Labor is downplaying some racial attacks, in deference to others.
Ordinary people are聽experiencing Islamophobia every day, Bolton said. 鈥淚t might not be as extreme as this attack in Epping 鈥 it can take the form of being refused service at a shop.鈥
She said Islamophobia and 鈥渞efugee-phobia鈥 and a phobia against people from African backgrounds are all 鈥渕anufactured by politicians and the mainstream media鈥.
Bolton urged people not to rely on new laws for protection against racism.
鈥淎s we鈥檝e seen, racial discrimination laws are used to target the Muslim and Arabic聽community, especially Palestinians.鈥 Bolton said Victorian Labor鈥檚 new anti-racist laws using antisemitism as the justification were an attack on everyone鈥檚 democratic rights. 鈥淚f this law goes through, it will be used to justify punishing pro-Palestine views.鈥
Bolton encouraged more protests in solidarity with victims of Islamophobia, saying they will challenge mainstream racism.
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