The Australian prime minister was booed by protesters during a visit to the country’s largest mosque.
Anthony Albanese and Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined worshippers at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney for Eid prayers on Friday.
Video of the event showed several protesters making lengthy interruptions, including telling them to “get out!” and calling them “genocide supporters”.
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Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney. Pic: Reuters
A security guard was seen tackling one heckler to the ground before escorting him away.
At one point during the disturbances, an organiser told the crowd to sit down and stop filming, saying, “dear brothers and sisters, keep calm a little bit”, and “It is Eid. It is a joyful day”.
But the animosity continued, with some shouting “shame on you” as the politicians left.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leaves Lakemba Mosque. Pic: Reuters
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The prime minister described the event as “incredibly positive”, adding that “if you got a couple of people heckling in a crowd of 30,000, that should be put in that perspective”.
He said some were frustrated at his government’s decision, earlier this month, to list Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group under laws brought in after December’s mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
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