Shocking detail in Parliament protest
The Prime Minister has condemned activists who staged an “unacceptable” 90-minute protest on the roof of Parliament House, calling for them to face the “full force of the law”.
“Peaceful protest has an important place in our society but this was not a peaceful protest,” Anthony Albanese told question time following Thursday morning’s incident.
“These actions have done absolutely nothing to advance any cause, indeed they have hurt the cause that those engaged in this reckless activity believe they are advancing.
“They should face the full force of the law.”
Speaker Milton Dick, who alongside Senate President Sue Lines is responsible for security, said he had asked AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw to organise an investigation and a wider review of security.
“I do not want a repeat of today’s events,” Mr Dick told MPs.
“We are deeply concerned about this morning’s event. It is unacceptable behaviour for the individuals.”
Mr Kershaw told a senate committee hearing on Thursday afternoon the group took ‘some deliberate actions’ to divert police attention, including holding an environmental protest inside the building where two people glued themselves to a pole.
“We did also have some false phone calls of other protests happening at nearby areas that did not occur,” Mr Kershaw told the committee.
“So was not only there diversionary efforts at Parliament House, but there was on diverting AFP resources to other areas.
“This was what I would call a criminal act.”
The AFP told the committee the four protesters climbed over specially-built security barricades to access the roof, triggering an alarm.
The barricades had been built as part of a $126m security upgrade and their suitability will be part of the review.
The AFP will also investigate the symbols used on the banners, which some believe included hate symbols.
Four pro-Palestinian activists were arrested and automatically banned from Parliament House for two years. They have been charged with commonwealth trespass offences.
Mr Dick said he started a process to introduce “additional consequences” for future protests.
He also limited access to question time on Thursday “for the safety of all who work in this building’.
“This was a decision I did not take lightly and as a result of a serious security breach by protesters on our building today.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton joined the condemnation and welcomed the review, but questioned why the anti-Semitic banners were allowed to remain on view for so long.
“They should have been taken down immediately and we understand the safety issues but nonetheless, it sends exactly the wrong message so we welcome the outcome, as belated as it was, and we hope never to see a repeat of it,” Mr Dutton said.
The protesters appeared on the roof just after 10am on Thursday and unfurled banners, including one that read: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, a phrase considered by some to be anti-Semitic.
About 11.30am, the protesters on the roof began to remove their banners, after appearing to negotiate with authorities.
The protest took place on the final sitting day of federal parliament before it breaks till mid-August.
Barnaby Joyce, a former deputy prime minister, said the protest raised “serious, serious questions,” about how the protesters managed to access the facade.
“They should get them down and go through them like a packet of salts and find everything out about them,” he said.
“Don’t take it at face value. This is planned.
“I bet you without a shadow of a doubt, there’s some very bad people watching this and going: ‘That’s interesting. They’re there. They got through.’”
He said the timing was especially concerning given the press gallery’s annual Midwinter Ball had been held on Wednesday night.
“Last night here we had all the politicians in one room, how convenient. You just walk through the door and you would have had the Leader of the Opposition, to the Treasurer, to the Prime Minister, to the minister of defence,” he said.
“There’s some serious questions to answer on exactly how this came about.”
Coalition MPs Garth Hamilton, Phil Thompson and Keith Pitt were outside and condemned the demonstrators.
Mr Pitt said there was a seriousness of “breakdown in our society”, adding it was important that all sides of politics “do not motivate others to take these types of risks”.
He said he supported the right to peaceful protest but condemned the demonstrators for putting lives at risk.
“You cannot put others at risk and you certainly can’t attempt to stop the democratic right of every Australian to come to their parliament to see their representatives at work,” Mr Pitt said.
“This is a major security breach.
“I’ve been here 11 years in September. I’ve seen this occur once before.
“It takes a lot of organisation and I think there are serious questions to answer because all of us, including the people that work in this building, to know that every time they work, like every other inquiry to figure out how this happened.”
In a long and rambling sermon, one protester called for an end of Australia’s complicity in war crimes saying it continues to enable genocide in Gaza.
“The whole damn government, blood on your hands,” they chanted.
In an embarrassing moment, the protester’s voice began to break prompting him to take a break.
They also chanted “always was, always will be Aboriginal land” and paid tribute to Julian Assange.
The protest coincides with Independence Day in the US.
Communication from the protesters states “on the Fourth of July, we emphasise the point that Australia relentlessly continues to enable and commit war crimes as an all of our great and powerful friends”.
“Australia continues to sell arms and parts for the weapons systems being used to kill, maim and dislocate tens of thousands of innocent people, destroy entire towns,” it states.
Police have yet to attempt to remove the protesters following the alarming security breach.
Opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham said he was concerned by the demonstration. “We’ve seen in defence of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, but that’s got to be done in ways that don’t put other people in danger (and) don’t create massive inconvenience for other Australians as well,” he said.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been held around the country since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last October.
