Australian PM Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Burke heckled at Lakemba mosque Eid event
Consensus Summary
Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke faced violent protests at Lakemba Mosque during Eid prayers on Friday, with a small group of worshippers shouting ‘genocide supporters’ and demanding their removal. The incident unfolded after Kheir’s speech criticizing Australia’s Middle East policy, with at least one protester physically removed by police. While the Lebanese Muslim Association defended inviting the politicians, claiming engagement strengthens advocacy, the protests reflected deep community anger over Australia’s support for Israel. Sources agree on key details like the heckling, police intervention, and Kheir’s statement, but differ on whether Albanese initially planned to speak, the severity of the altercation, and the exact timing of the protests. The event highlights growing tensions within the Muslim community over political engagement amid the Gaza war.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke attended Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s west on Friday morning for Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan
- Protesters at the mosque shouted phrases including ‘genocide supporters,’ ‘disgrace,’ ‘shame,’ and ‘get them out of here’ during the event
- A 33-year-old man was removed from the mosque by police after being identified as a heckler and given a move-on direction
- Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir delivered a statement criticizing Australia’s involvement in the Middle East war and its impact on the Muslim community
- The Lebanese Muslim Association defended inviting Albanese, stating engagement with government is not a betrayal of Gaza/Lebanon concerns
- Israel’s strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 912 people (including 111 children) and wounded 2,221 others, per Lebanese health ministry
- Albanese made a hasty exit from the mosque after the protest, avoiding a crowd waiting outside
- The event took place at Lakemba Mosque, one of Australia’s largest mosques, located in Sydney’s west
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- One man who booed Albanese was led out by police and released without charge after being given a move-on direction
- The Lebanese Muslim Association said its position on Gaza and Lebanon remains ‘clear and unchanged’ and it continues to stand with those suffering
- The federal government announced it would send a specialist surveillance aircraft and air-to-air missiles to the UAE to protect Australians amid Iran’s retaliatory strikes
- Albanese was seated at the front of the mosque listening to Gamel Kheir’s statement before the protest began
- Initial plans included Albanese giving a speech, but organisers demanded he only attend and listen
- A 29-year-old protester named Ibrahim Seklaoui said Albanese’s attendance ‘disrespected’ the Muslim community and called him a ‘putrid dog’
- Protesters shouted ‘Alba-tizi’ (a play on Albanese’s name with Arabic slang for buttocks) as he escaped via a back door
- Albanese claimed ‘overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive’ and that only a ‘couple of hecklers’ were present inside
- Some attendees mentioned police actions at a protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog during Eid prayers at Town Hall in February as a source of anger
- A heckler shouted ‘You called him honourable, he's responsible for the deaths of 1 billion people, 1 billion of our brothers and sisters’
- Another attendee shouted ‘You don’t represent us anymore’ during the protest
- The ABC noted similar protests occurred during Eid last year, including Jason Wood being escorted out of an event in Melbourne
- Tony Burke abandoned a scheduled Ramadan prayer event in Lakemba last year after protest plans were circulated
- The ABC reported a physical altercation between at least two men during the protest, with one man’s mouth covered by another
- Stand4Palestine activist Mukhlis Mah (33) was identified as a heckler who was ‘thrown out’ by LMA staff and police, with a video showing him being ‘thrown down the stairs’
- Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah shared videos accusing LMA of inviting Albanese as a ‘reward for supporting the genocide’ and called for an ‘uprising’
- NSW Police confirmed officers removed a 33-year-old man (later identified as Mah) and issued him a move-on direction
- LMA secretary Gamel Kheir urged calm and noted the community’s ‘dramatic rise of the far-right anti-immigration agenda’ as a reason for engagement with government
- Kheir stated the mosque had previously ‘actively disengaged’ from government over Israel’s actions in Gaza but found it ineffective
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian reports Albanese was seated at the front of the mosque listening to Kheir’s statement before the protest, while the ABC and SMH describe him as seated quietly during a speech after prayers
- The SMH claims Albanese initially planned to give a speech but organisers demanded he only attend and listen, while the Guardian and ABC do not mention this
- The ABC reports a heckler claimed Albanese was responsible for ‘1 billion deaths,’ while this exact figure is not mentioned in other sources
- The SMH states Albanese was chased by protesters after escaping via a back door, while the Guardian and ABC do not specify this detail
- Newscomaau reports a physical altercation where a man was ‘thrown down the stairs’ by police, while the Guardian and ABC describe the man being led out calmly by police
Source Articles
Breaking: Albanese, Burke shouted at as anger erupts at Eid prayers
Anger at the government has spilled over at an Eid prayer event attended by the prime minister and home affairs minister, with a couple of attendees calling for the politicians to be removed from the ...
Albanese confronted by protesters at Lakemba mosque
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were attending prayers at Lakemba Mosque to mark the end of Ramadan....
Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke heckled by protesters at Lakemba mosque
The prime minister makes a hasty exit, avoiding a large crowd waiting for him outside Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcas...
Albo heckled, chaotic scenes at Sydney mosque
Anthony Albanese has been heckled and accused of being a “genocide supporter” at one of Australia’s biggest mosques....