A Politics in Pub forum is planned for Saturday 4 October posing the provocative question ‘why Labor supports genocide in Gaza’.
Organised by the Victorian Socialists Dandenong, the event at BoJak Brewing features Greater Dandenong councillor Rhonda Garad as a guest speaker as well as Jack McMahon, a Dandenong-based activist and a Victorian Socialists member.
In response to the forum, Bruce MP and assistant minister for citizenship Julian Hill says any idea of the government supporting genocide as “offensive” and “wrong”.
“This sort of inflammatory rhetoric from political fringe dwellers is ridiculous and does nothing to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East.
“Australians want two things above all else. They want the killing to stop and they do not want foreign conflicts weaponised to divide our multicultural society.
“At every point the Australian government has used Australia’s limited influence in that part of the world to act collectively with other like-minded countries in support of peace and a two state solution, while providing humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.”
He says the recognition of Palestine is a step towards “ending the decades-long cycles of violence”.
However, Mr McMahon says Australia’s historic recognition of the state of Palestine just in September is only due to the “sustained pressure” of more than 900 pro-Palestine protests over the past two years according to SBS News.
“After marching for Palestine with hundreds of locals through the streets of Dandenong in August, it’s clear there’s plenty of outrage in our community with our Labor government’s approach to the ongoing genocide.
“We want to bring everyone together in Dandenong who stands against Israel’s genocide and build a grassroots movement that can challenge Labor’s complicity.
“These historic protests and other actions in Australia led to the recognition of Palestine, not Albanese’s small heart growing three sizes in one day.”
Globally, Australia is reportedly ranked ninth for pro-Palestine protests and the fourth among non-Muslim majority countries.
Some of the protests have been staged outside Dandenong based manufacturer AW Bell supplies parts for Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, one of the most highly advanced and sophisticated fighter jets in the world.
However, the company denies it sells any parts directly to Israel.
It is the only approved casting supplier of F-35 electronic warfare countermeasure magazines in the world.
“Some of Australia’s direct ties to the genocide include the exclusive manufacturing of parts for F-35 jets right here in Dandenong that are used by the IDF in their ongoing terror campaign,” Mr McMahon says.
“We have all been made complicit in genocide due to the inaction of our politicans and now we are motivated and angry because there is a bit of Dandenong in every act of genocide”
Cr Garad, an ex-Greens member who has been consistently advocating for Palestine during the conflict, says she welcomes anything that can bring the community together and “build political and civil literacy.”
“As a councillor, I think this is my job to have conversations about politics with the community.
“If we’re only getting information from biased media, that’s where we start to have a lot of division and hatred.
“But when I think everyone is in one room, there’s open flowing information. That builds political and civil literacy and a safer community in my opinion.
“Anything that gets people thinking and talking about what’s happening, I’m all for.”
The Socialists demand the Labor government to sanction Israel, cut ties with the United States and scrap the AUKUS-a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to enhance their defence and security capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
They urge the billons of AUKUS dollars to be diverted to housing, healthcare, education and the environment.
