Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied being “rushed out” of a mosque in Sydney’s southwest after he was confronted by protesters shouting “shame” and “Allahu Akbar” during Eid prayers.
Mr Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were heckled during a visit to Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s southwest as they attended Eid prayers to mark the end of Ramadan.
After the prayers had concluded, Gamel Kheir, a senior figure with the Lebanese Muslim Association, which operates the mosque, began to deliver a speech.
Protesters began to shout during the address, lashing out at the Prime Minister.
“Why is he here? Get him out of here? It’s a disgrace,” one man shouted.
The Prime Minister denied reports he was “rushed out” of the mosque following the heckling.
“I’ve seen some of those reports and they’re simply not accurate,” he said.
“There were over 30,000 people at Lakemba this morning, overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive. I walked through the crowd to the mosque and not a single person heckled.
“There were a couple of hecklers inside, they were dealt with. Contrary to what has been suggested no one was rushed out, we just sat there, it was dealt with.”
He added: “It was dealt with by the community themselves because overwhelmingly they did not want that to occur and I thank very much the invitation.”
The Prime Minister shared pictures from his visit on showing him smiling and shaking hands with members of the community.
“Eid Mubarak. An honour join thousands for Eid al-Fitr at Lakemba Mosque this morning,” he captioned the post.
After the event, the Lebanese Muslim Association released a statement noting their “position on Gaza and Lebanon is clear and unchanged”.
“We are aware of the reaction to the Prime Minister’s attendance and we understand emotions are high, particularly given the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the devastation in Lebanon,” it read.
“These are not distant issues for our community. They are deeply personal, and they shape how many people feel in the moment. But we also need to be clear. Choosing to engage with the elected leadership of this country is not a betrayal of those concerns. It is how we give them a voice.”
The statement continued: “Australian Muslims are part of this country, not outside of it.
“We will continue to open our doors. We will continue to speak with honesty. And we will continue to engage, because silence has never served out community.”
SkyNews.com.au has contacted the Prime Minister’s Office and Mr Burke for comment.
Charlotte McIntyre, Digital Reporter, SkyNews
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