Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was heckled during his visit to a mosque in Sydney ahead of Eid during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Albanese, along with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, attended prayers at Lakemba Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the country, after being invited by community leaders on Friday morning.
During the visit, some attendees shouted slogans such as "genocide supporters," along with "boo" and "get out of here," while a mosque leader delivered a speech urging the government to engage more effectively with Muslim Australians. The protest stemmed from broader dissatisfaction within sections of Australia's Muslim community over the government’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict and concerns about rising Islamophobia domestically.
According to reports, one protester who was shouting at Albanese was removed from the mosque by police, later released without charge, and asked to leave the area. As the prime minister exited through the crowd, a few individuals continued to shout, with one questioning his presence and calling it "a disgrace."
Following the event, the Lebanese Muslim Association, which manages the mosque, issued a statement affirming that Albanese was welcome and that its doors would remain open. The group acknowledged heightened emotions within the community, citing the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the devastation in Lebanon as deeply personal concerns, BBC reported.
Albanese later told the media that the majority of the crowd, estimated at over 30,000 people, had received him positively. He suggested that the protest by a small group may have been linked to the government’s recent decision to ban extremist organisations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Earlier in the day, Albanese had shared on social media that it was an honour to attend the prayers, posting images of himself greeting worshippers.
