Concerns have emerged that a pro-Palestine activist group associated with a fundamentalist Islamist faction might be used to promote extremist ideas in Australia.
Stand4Palestine is organizing a rally at Paul Keating Park in Bankstown, located in south-west Sydney, on Tuesday evening to commemorate the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks conducted by Hamas.
The rally is titled ‘Glory to our Martyrs’ and vows it will be a way of ‘honouring two years of resistance’.
The group has led intense campus demonstrations, militant discourse, and mass gatherings at places such as the University of Sydney and Lakemba Mosque, amassing over 50,000 followers on its Instagram platform.
Stand4Palestine is affiliated with Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamist group that has been classified as a terrorist organisation in the UK and prohibited in nations like Germany.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is still allowed to operate in Australia, though critics warn its rhetoric glorifies terrorism and undermines social cohesion.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Islamist political group founded in 1953, aiming to re-establish a unified Islamic caliphate ruled by Sharia law.
In February, the group defended two nurses at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital who were filmed expressing a desire to harm Israeli patients.
Stand4Palestine (pictured) are linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir a proscribed terror group in the UK
The group dismissed the backlash as ‘selective outrage’, framing the comments as emotional responses to the war in Gaza.
Hizb ut-Tahrir referred to October 7 as a ‘day of courage’ following the massacre of more than 1,200 people in Israel by Hamas terrorists, including an Australian national.
The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) and federal opposition MPs have called for urgent government intervention, warning that Hizb ut-Tahrir is using Stand4Palestine as a front to disseminate pro-Hamas propaganda and glorify terrorism.
Among the scheduled speakers for the ‘Glory to our Martyrs’ rally is Sheikh Ibrahim Dadoun, who previously described the October 7 attacks as ‘a day of courage, a day of victory’ during a pro-Palestinian rally in Lakemba in 2023.
‘I’m smiling and I’m happy,’ he told the crowd. ‘It’s a day of pride. This is the day we’ve been waiting for,’ he said.
Dadoun has also publicly speculated that Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, may have ‘manufactured’ anti-Semitic incidents in Australia to manipulate political outcomes.
He continues to appear at events where Hamas leaders are praised and has spoken at conferences organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir activists.
Another speaker, Assala Sayara, reportedly attended a Hamas anniversary rally in Jordan where symbols of the group were prominently displayed.
Sheikh Ibrahim Dadoun (pictured) said that October 7 was ‘a day of courage, a day of victory’
Assala Sayara (pictured) allegedly attended a Hamas anniversary rally in Jordan
Sayara has previously justified violence ‘when Palestine is occupied’, and helped organise the protest at the Sydney Opera House in 2023, where anti-semitic chants were allegedly heard.
ZFA President Jeremy Leibler has previously condemned Hizb ut-Tahrir’s involvement in pro-Palestine groups.
‘We should not have any doubt as to what Hizb ut-Tahrir’s key players and supporters mean when they refer to 7 October as a ‘day of courage,’ or when they share videos of Hamas terrorists paragliding into Israel,’ he said.
Opposition Senator James Paterson echoed the call for action against extremist groups, and has previously urged the Albanese government to investigate Hizb ut-Tahrir and consider listing it as a terrorist organisation.
‘The only reason to glorify martyrs on the anniversary of 7 October is if you believe terrorism and the slaughter of Jews should be honoured,’ he told the Australian.
Paterson also condemned the groups associated with the rally.
‘It is deeply troubling that a peak body like the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils is collaborating with known extremists like Hizb ut-Tahrir in this sick event.’
‘The Albanese government should urgently condemn this event and review their charitable status and ability to accept tax-deductible donations. Celebrating terrorism should not be supported with a taxpayer subsidy.’
Daily Mail contacted Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Stand4Palestine for comment.
