Australian woman charged for flying Hezbollah flag at protest

Australian police charge a 19-year-old woman after an investigation into Hezbollah flags flown at a Sydney demonstration.

“She was arrested and charged with cause [for] public display of prohibited terrorists organization symbol,” say New South Wales Police.

Other attendees at the pro-Palestine protests, which took place in Sydney and Melbourne last week, also waved Hamas flags or placards with slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Authorities remain on high alert ahead of two planned protests this week that will mark the one year anniversary since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught on southern Israel.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the two protests — set for October 6 and 7 — should not go ahead and that any demonstration would be seen “as incredibly provocative.”

“It would not advance any cause. It would cause a great deal of distress,” he tells national broadcaster ABC.