'Religious events, including of an Islamic nature'

The ongoing protest against the Gaza genocide outside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electorate office in Marrickville is facing the threat of legal action and forced police removal.

On April 17, legal representatives of the Anglican Church Property Trust Diocese of Sydney sent protest organisers a letter advising that they were trespassing on land owned by the Diocese, formally requesting the protest vacate the land and threatening to have police forcibly remove protesters if they do not comply.

Albanese has refused to comment on the protest outside his office, despite it running for more than two months. Pro-Palestinian protesters have been aggressively targeted by police and Zionist opponents in recent months, while state governments criminalise protest more broadly.

In response to the letter, protest organisers said: “We are staying put.”

The letter cites the recent stabbing of a bishop in Wakeley as evidence that “the protest makes it challenging to ensure safety during church services and related activities,” and claims that “MRAC’s staff and members are increasingly concerned that their church is no longer a safe space”.

Albanese’s office is in a building owned by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, which also houses a Laverty Pathology clinic and offices of Marrickville Road Anglican Church (MRAC). The letter claims “the protest is causing significant disruption and damage to MRAC” and Laverty Pathology, as “members of the public are unable (or unwilling) to access Laverty Pathology due to the presence of the protesters across the entry way to its premises”.

The Diocese also appears to take exception to the performance of non-Christian religious ceremonies and events on its land. The letter mentions that “the protesters have begun to conduct religious events, including of an Islamic nature despite the site being the location of an Anglican Church and despite — in the case of events on Good Friday — MRAC denying permission when asked,.”

“These events were offensive and inflammatory, particularly on Good Friday — the most significant day in the Christian calendar — when access to the church car park was shut off at certain times and Islamic banners were hung across the MRAC office,” the letter says.

The protest has held varied religious events at different times, including Shabbat dinners and a multifaith event on March 29 that included a Ramadan iftar and Christian prayers. The “Islamic banners” are an apparent reference to banners hung during that event referencing Ramadan.

“Weaponising the Wakeley stabbing against us is distasteful and offensive. It’s deeply entrenched in Islamophobia,” protest organisers said on Instagram. "This is not an ‘Islamic’ cause. Palestine is for everyone. Palestinian Christians are facing the same oppression, where is [the Diocese’s] heart and voice for them?”

I’ve asked the Diocese why they singled out “events of an Islamic nature” in their letter, and whether they also take exception to events of a Jewish nature being held on Anglican-owned land. I am yet to hear back.

The letter goes on to request that the protesters vacate the land they have been occupying since February and take down any signage or material related to the protest.

“In the light of current apprehension in the community arising from the attack at Wakeley on Monday night, and the reasons outlined in this letter, it would be very disappointing if the protesters do not agree to leave the site without the need for enforcement action,” the letter says. “Nonetheless, if agreement cannot be reached on a prompt exit from the land by the end of this week, MRAC will ask the police to enforce this letter.”

“MRAC is greived [sic] by the events in Gaza and appalled at the loss of life and property. Its members pray for peace and reconciliation,” the letter states. “The position taken in this letter does not arise out of opposition to the substance of the protest in this regard, but rather due to security concerns and the impact the indefinite protest is having on MRAC’s operations.”

Sign up for a shift at the protest here.

What I’m looking at

• Zionism must be exposed and discredited

• The ICC can no longer ignore the genocide in Gaza

• The invisible seafaring industry that keeps the internet afloat