Pro-Palestinian motorcycle convoy met by Israeli supporters at Coogee Beach
A pro-Palestinian motorcycle convoy led by a man once accused of terrorist offenses has made its way through Sydney.
About a dozen riders from the Al Quds community center in Regents Park, in the west of the city, made their journey from Lidcombe to Coogee on Saturday evening.
The motorbikes were seen decorated with Palestinian flags as utes followed them.
Leading the convoy was organizer Zaky Mallah, the first Australian to be charged with terrorist offenses after threatening to blow up ASIO and DFAT offices in 2003.
Mallah was acquitted of planning a terrorist attack but spent two years in Goulburn prison after pleading guilty to threatening to kill ASIO officers.
Escorted by police, the ride was largely uneventful until they reached Coogee, where nearly 100 protesters holding Israeli flags were waiting on the beach.
About a dozen riders from the Al Quds community center in Regents Park, in the west of the city, made their journey from Lidcombe to Coogee on Saturday evening.
The pro-Palestinian convoy was seen passing through Sydney on Saturday evening
Riders were escorted by police
Escorted by police, the ride was largely uneventful until they reached Coogee, where nearly 100 protesters holding Israeli flags were waiting on the beach.
A tense standoff ensued between the two groups until police managed to separate them and the riders continued on their way.
Prominent Palestinian activist Fahad Ali joined a group of members of Sydney’s Jewish community in condemning the ride.
‘This is a deliberately provocative action. It has no strategic purpose. No one I know in the Palestinian community agrees with this,” he wrote on Twitter, now known as X.
Israeli supporters were seen waiting for the group in Coogee
A supporter of Palestine is seen giving a thumbs down to the supporters of Israel
Mr Ali said he could not vouch for the group, and that they are not known to established organizing groups.
‘If things go wrong, who will bear the consequences? We are. Palestinians, organizers and the movement as a whole. My opinion on this will not change,” he wrote.
The chairman of the Jewish Council of Deputies, David Ossip, was more scathing in his comments, despite Saturday being the Jewish holy day, Shabbat.
‘There is no reason why a theoretical peaceful anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian protest should force its way from Lidcombe to Coogee. It is clear that the route was chosen with one aim: to intimidate and frighten the Jewish community,” Ossip told The Daily Telegraph.
“This is psychological warfare and should not be tolerated in Sydney. I share the outrage and frustration the community is feeling.”
Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane said she was “deeply disturbed” by the motorcade.
“The pro-Palestinian bikers have deliberately chosen a provocative route into the heart of Sydney’s largest Jewish community. I have no doubt this is intended to intimidate,” she tweeted.
The motorcade protest came just hours after dozens of protesters, some of whom created a jet ski blockade on the water, rallied against Israeli shipping company ZIM after a ship of theirs declared its intention to dock in Botany Bay.
Palestine Justice Movement Sydney (PJMS) organized the protest, which started around noon on Saturday and ultimately led to the ship’s commanders deciding not to dock.
Authorities hoped Saturday’s protests would not mirror the violent clashes that took place in Melbourne on Friday evening between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrators.