Last week,Jewish federal said he feared someone would get hurt “or worse” after pro-Palestinian activists vandalised and poured kerosene to light a fire outside his Melbourne office.
Burns said police inspectors found flammable chemicals on the office site. Two small fires were lit:one to the left of the office entrance and another outside the street-facing door to apartments on the floor above the office. The attackers smashed the front windows and entered the office.
Macnamara MP Josh Burns held a press conference today in St Kilda.
Burns said the incident put the lives of the apartment residents at risk and said he was worried about the safety of Labor colleagues whose offices had also been targeted and his staff.
“I’m nervous about someone getting hurt or worse,” he said,adding that the vandalism was politically motivated. “How is this a peaceful act?”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rightly said the incident represented a troubling escalation of radical pro-Palestinian activism in Australia.
A recent Resolve Political Monitor,conducted for theHerald by Resolve Strategic,finds clear majority support for public petitions as well as a narrow majority of 53 per cent in favour of public rallies when voters are asked about public protests of all kinds.
But it shows there is only 14 per cent support for protests that occupy buildings or set up camps on university lawns. Only 10 per cent of voters believe it is legitimate to block access to a politician’s electorate office.
This week,19-year-old Jordan Patten was charged with committing an act done in preparation for,or planning,a terrorist attack. Police allege Patten had intended to kill the Labor MP for the state seat of Newcastle,Tim Crakanthorp.
A manifesto published online,believed to be authored by Patten,indicated Patten had planned a series of attacks against the public and politicians and was inspired by the Christchurch mass shooter.
The magistrate told the court Patten’s alleged crime carried “overtones of mental health” issues. The teenager made no application for bail and the matter was adjourned to August 21.
Patten’s online activities,shared with theHerald by extremist investigators from The White Rose Society,revealed the teenager had previously fantasised about murder and had described wanting to carry out a range of terrorist attacks in Newcastle and Sydney,inspired by Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant.
Analysis of Patten’s social media accounts and the 200-page manifesto he is believed to have authored showed he held a wide range of extreme anti-immigrant,anti-LGBT and anti-Labor Party views.
Politics in the United Kingdom is haunted by the 2016 shooting and stabbing murder of Labor MP Jo Cox and the fatal 2021 stabbing of Conservative Party MP Sir David Amess.
Australia has a proud history of disagreeing honourably. Violence must never be allowed to creep into our national discourse.
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