Key Points
- Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters clashed in Melbourne's southeast on Friday night.
- The violence broke out after a suspicious fire severely damaged a nearby burger shop on Friday morning.
- Burgertory's founder believes the fire was a hate crime, but police are confident it wasn't politically motivated.
Political leaders have condemned Friday night's violent clash between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups on the streets of Melbourne.
Police used pepper spray as the fight broke out in the middle of Hawthorn Road in Caulfield South on Friday night.
Pro-Palestinian protestors rallied in Princes Park and were greeted on the other side of the road by pro-Israeli demonstrators, with officers wedged between the groups.
"There were two groups with approximately 200 people in each group demonstrating," police said.
One man was pepper-sprayed and removed from the area and another reported receiving minor injuries after being hit by a rock.
Police say they will investigate both incidents further and review CCTV.
The drama unfolded near a synagogue and Burgertory's Caulfield store, which was severely damaged by fire on Friday morning.
The burger chain's founder Hash Tayeh told reporters he had received threats and believed the blaze was a hate crime after he was filmed at a pro-Palestinian rally leading a "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" chant.
A photo of the damage posted to social media showed the restaurant covered in ash with broken windows and debris peeling from the roof.
"I refuse to be a casualty of fear," Tayeh posted to Instagram.
Burgertory's Caulfield store was severely damaged in a blaze on Friday morning. Credit: Reddit/Yonsti
"I would warn people not to make assumptions or draw lines of inquiry that aren't there between this incident and anything else that is occurring," he said on Friday.
Officers also intervened after a dispute outside the business earlier in the day.
On Saturday, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the violence and said she had spoken to police about an increased presence in the area.
Allan said antisemitism in every form and attacks on the Muslim community were both unacceptable.
"We cannot let violence in the Middle East beget violence on the streets of Melbourne," she told reporters.
Victoria's Opposition leader John Pesutto claimed the scenes in Caulfield were "blatantly antisemitic" and said all Victorians should be free to worship safely without fear of intimidation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said all Australians had a responsibility to preserve peace, harmony and respect. "There is no place in our nation for hatred or prejudice of any kind," he said.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said there was "no place for violence", antisemitism, or Islamophobia in Australia.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the violence in Caulfield was unacceptable. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton described the clash as a "deliberate act of incitement designed to end in violence".
"The Jewish community in Australia is rightly scared for their safety at the moment," he posted to X.
A spokesperson for Free Palestine Melbourne said a demonstration was held in support of the burger restaurant at a neutral location and organisers were not aware there was a synagogue near the park.
"We apologise to the local Jewish community for the protest location that led to the evacuation of the synagogue, for any fear they may have felt and for the cancellation of Shabbat," they said.
The statement went on to claim the group was confronted by counter-protesters and called on community leaders to ensure Burgertory would be welcomed and safe when it reopened.
Friday's incident followed the arrest of several people during a on Melbourne Cup day.
