(The Situation Update Report [SUR] is a near real-time brief of a possible threat or situation being monitored by The Counter Threat Center. The information is accurate at the time of reporting, but may be subject to change.)
Gabriel Helupka, Nicholas Novak, William Bos
Jennifer Loy, Chief Editor
October 10, 2023
Free Palestine Rally[1]
Current Situation: Pro-Palestinian protestors in Sydney, Australia, reportedly chanted anti-Semitic expletives during a protest.[2] The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) also revealed unverified reports that Arabs in Melbourne are “hunting for Jews.” AJA alleges someone said, “Do you know where any Jews are? Why, they’ll know what we’re going to do with them… we’re on the hunt to kill Jews.”[3]
Day/Time of event: October 9, 2023
What is the current threat:
Pro-Palestinian protesters will very likely disrupt Jewish vigils in Australia, with a roughly even chance of clashing with Jewish mourners. This will likely lead to increased hostilities between Palestinian and Israeli communities in Australia, likely leading to sporadic violent confrontations.
Synagogues will very likely become increased targets for vandalism, likely leading to increased security presences around Jewish holy and cultural sites. Police will likely investigate vandalism cases as hate crimes amid the ongoing Israeli-Gaza conflict.
Anti-semitic protests worldwide will very likely increase, likely burning Israeli flags in support of Palestinian causes. These protestors will almost certainly blame Israeli policies in Palestine for ongoing policies, likely minimizing references to Hamas. This will likely give legitimization to Hamas’s assault on southern Israel, likely likening the assault to a resistance to Israeli occupation. There is a roughly even chance that clashes will occur between pro-Palestinian protestors and Jewish counter-protestors.
The government’s response to these protests is very likely to influence other pro-Palestinian rallies worldwide. They will likely denounce reports of anti-semitic chants and review the legality of the protest. This will likely determine if future protests will continue, require additional prior authorization, or stop.
Who will it directly impact:
Palestinians and pro-Palestinian protestors
Jewish and pro-Israeli counter-protestors
Australian Jewish communities
Members of the Australian diplomatic mission in Israel.
Jewish Australian nationals abroad
AJA members
Jewish tourists in Australia
Israeli tourists in Australia
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[1] “Free Palestine - Melbourne Rally”, by Matt Hrkac licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
[2] AustralianJA, from X, via CyberHUMINT
[3] Ibid