Australian mosque protesters heckled Australian PM

Protesters heckled and booed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday during a visit to Australia's largest mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers, voicing anger over his stance on ally Israel's offensive in Gaza.



Some in Australia's Muslim and Jewish communities are angry over a fine line walked by the centre-left government since the Gaza war began, expressing concern for Palestinians, repeatedly urging a ceasefire, and backing Israel's right to self-defence.



Video images showed protesters interrupting proceedings about 15 minutes after Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined worshippers at Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.



Demonstrators booed, told Albanese and Burke to "Get out!" and called them "genocide supporters", referring to Israel's killing of Palestinians in Gaza, following an attack by Hamas militants in 2023.



A security guard was seen tackling one heckler to the ground before escorting him away.



"Shame on you!" yelled protesters who followed Albanese and Burke when they left.



The mosque event was "incredibly positive", Albanese said later, despite the incident.