Extremist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir supports October 7 ‘outrage and unending solidarity’ rally in Sydney

An extremist Islamic organisation has thrown its support behind a rally for Palestine and Lebanon on the first anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

The rally, to be held at Lakemba Mosque in southwest Sydney on Monday evening, is to show the community’s “outrage and unending solidarity” with Palestine and Lebanon.

Stand for Palestine advertised its “united community rally” event on social media.

“As we hit the one-year mark of genocide, NOW is the time to send a defiant message,” the social media post read.

“Community leaders, activists, organisations express our outrage and un-ending solidarity as ONE ummah.”

The post suggested the rally was endorsed by 39 Islamic organisations, including the Lebanese Muslim Association and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, two of the largest and most influential groups in Australia.

Sheiks and other leaders will address the crowd and there will be a Salatul Ghaib (an Islamic prayer for people killed) “for martyrs of Palestine and Lebanon”.

Hizb ut Tahrir is listed as a rally partner, too, despite Stand for Palestine’s efforts to claim the two groups are not affiliated, The Australian reports.

According to the broadsheet, the rally was first advertised by Mohammad Al-Wahwah, an administrator of Stand for Palestine’s WhatsApp group and a relative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia founder Ismail Al-Wahwah.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is registered as a terror organisation in the UK and Germany, but not Australia.

NSW Premier Chris Minns reiterated his belief in the “inappropriateness” of rallies and protests planned for October 7.

“To hold a protest or a rally on the day when people were massacred on the other side of the world is grossly insensitive, in my opinion,” he said.

Mr Minns said he and the police were aware of the planned Lakemba action in recent days.

He said hate speech or anti-Semitism of any form would not be tolerated at the rallies.

“Laws will be enforced. I want to make it clear that if there’s any (criminal) breaches in protests, in public sermons, in speeches over this weekend, it will be met with very strict laws in relation to hate speech,” Mr Minns said.

The revelation of the Lakemba rally plans comes after NSW Police and the Palestine Action Group reached an 11th-hour compromise to host a “standing” vigil in the Sydney CBD on Monday evening.

NSW Police had applied to the Supreme Court in an attempt to block both events scheduled for Sunday and Monday, citing safety fears.

But at the court hearing on Thursday, police withdrew their opposition to the Sunday rally after organisers amended their route and agreed to begin and end the event at Hyde Park instead of Town Hall.

Police had raised concerns about protestors passing the Great Synagogue, claiming it could lead to a “tinderbox” situation, but ultimately struck a deal with the organisers.

In a rare joint statement, the Australian Federal Police and State police forces warned there would be no tolerance of illegal behaviour or violence at pro-Palestinian protests planned across the weekend.

“Police respect the right to peacefully protest and assemble in Australia, however, there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence on any day of the year,” the statement said.

“In Australia, there are offences that prohibit behaviour that incites or advocates violence or hatred based on race and religion, including the display of prohibited symbols in public under these circumstances.

“It is also a serious offence to counsel, promote, encourage, urge, instruct or praise terrorism.”

One woman has been charged with displaying the flag of the defined terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a Sydney protest last weekend, while police in Victoria are investigating several other people for the same thing.

Both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have criticised those who plan to protest on Monday, saying there was no place for celebrating Hamas’ attacks nor the role of Hezbollah or its leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike last week.

The October 7 anniversary is expected to be a sombre day for Australia’s Jewish community which will be mourning the anniversary of Hamas’ unprecedented assault on Israel, which saw about 1200 people killed and 250 more people taken hostage.

Hamas’ attack triggered the Israeli counter-offensive in Gaza that has since killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health officials.