Family members of Israeli hostages held in Gaza sought protection in a Melbourne police station on Wednesday night when pro-Palestinian protesters entered the lobby of their hotel.
Victoria police confirmed they attended a protest in Docklands, where about 20 people walked into a hotel lobby on Spencer Street “with flags and signs” about 10pm.
“The group were moved on by police,” they said in a statement. “No one was injured during the incident.”
The Israeli delegation had travelled to Canberra earlier in the week and was due to visit Sydney on Thursday as part of a week-long tour to meet politicians and community members.
The Guardian understands the delegation had attended an event at Mount Scopus Memorial College before returning to their hotel with officials, including Israel’s deputy ambassador. The group heard shouting and saw people holding signs in the lobby, so travelled to the police station where they remained for some time before returning to the hotel.
Images shared on social media showed a group of protesters with a megaphone and holding up a large sign that read, “Stop arming Israel. Free Palestine”.
The Israeli embassy said in a statement the delegation was “made to feel unsafe” by the protest.
“Despite this event, the delegation will continue their Australian tour and share their plea for support for their family members who remain hostages to Hamas terrorists.
“Ambassador [Amir] Maimon expressed deep disappointment at the feeling of insecurity experienced by the members of the Israeli delegation.”
In a post on social media, the anonymous group behind the protest said it was attempting to confront officials from the Israeli embassy “who were scheduled to be meeting there at that time”.
“Crowne Plaza is well aware of this,” the statement read.
The statement said the protesters were committed to nonviolence, but accused the Israeli delegation of “seeking military support and war”.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said in a statement she had met a mother among the group whose son had been murdered and condemned the “extreme behaviour” of the protesters “in the strongest possible terms”.
“I condemn the antisemitism. I condemn targeting people in their moment of grief.
“Whatever your views, we all expect Victorians to act with decency and humanity.”
The Victorian Liberal MP David Southwick, who met the delegation at the police station, claimed private security had to escort the group upon returning to the hotel.
“Where were the police? Where was the response?” he said on Thursday morning.
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He said the group spent three hours at the police station “until it was safe to return back to their hotel”.
Southwick said the delegation felt supported from both sides of politics after several days of meetings, but after Wednesday night felt “deserted”.
“There’s no other word to describe it … We’ve heard those accounts [of their loved ones], they relive those stories and then last night they were traumatised again from these agitators with no purpose.”
The federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said on X the protesters’ actions “threatened Australians of Jewish faith” and they should have been arrested.
“The actions by these protesters were disgraceful. They were clearly intended to intimidate those Israelis whose loved ones have been killed or taken hostage by Hamas,” Dutton said.
The Victorian police minister, Anthony Carbines, labelled the protest “intimidating”, “appalling” and “bullying”, and said he would speak further with police on Thursday.
“To attend where people [are] staying in a hotel, hang around the foyer, to wear masks, to intimidate people, is appalling behaviour. It’s just not on,” he said.
“It’s very distressing and sad … There are always going to be people who think it’s somehow appropriate to operate in the grey to intimidate and distress people.”
The federal MP Zoe Daniel said she met the Israeli delegation in Canberra earlier in the week and had referred her concern about the protest to the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil.
Israel said on Wednesday about 160 hostages were still held in Gaza after a further 16 were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The president of Zionism Victoria, Yossi Goldfarb, said the families had “come to share their stories and speak of hope, only to be met by obscenities and hate”.
“This behaviour must be condemned. It is a cancer on our multicultural society.”
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