Zoe Moffatt and Gerald Lynch
A Hume council meeting was brought to a standstill last week when attendees disrupted the proceedings yelling ‘free Palestine’ and ‘shame’ amid council discussing Anzac Day.
On Monday, April 29, councillor Jarrod Bell was discussing successful Anzac Day services held in the municipality when shouting could be heard from the public gallery.
For viewers watching at home, the meeting’s sound was muted several times, with mayor Naim Kurt unsuccessfully calling for quiet.
Shouts of “free Palestine,” “shame on you all” and “you represent the people that live here” reverberated throughout the chamber, before council adjourned the meeting for 10 minutes.
Speaking about the disruption, Cr Kurt said he knows there is a lot of emotion about the conflict in Palestine and Gaza.
“Our council has stood with our community in calling for a ceasefire, and unfortunately we won’t be considering any motions on this topic for tonight,” he said.
Outside the council meeting, which was held at the Broadmeadows Town Hall, more than 100 people gathered, with the Hume for Palestine action group sharing videos on its Instagram account.
Chants including “we are here to let you know, we are the people” and “Palestine was betrayed, we are the people,” could be heard in the video, with attendees shining lights as they chanted.
Hume councillor Jack Medcraft said it was frustrating the meeting was disrupted.
“If they’re looking for notice of what they’re trying to get, that is not the way to do it,” he said.
This pressure on councils to address the ongoing conflict has been bubbling away across the country.
Nearby Brimbank council called for an immediate ceasefire in hostilities between Israel and Palestine at a meeting in February, after receiving a petition signed by 3408 people.
Brimbank councillor Virginia Tachos explained why councillors were voting on an issue that was playing out in the Middle East.
“It is relevant when my constituents who voted for their voices to be represented in the chamber express complete despair and deep unfathomable pain for the immense loss of life,” she said at the time.
