Police investigating 'disgusting' display of 'no black', 'no Muslim' votes banners
Victoria Police is investigating after several groups dressed in all black were seen on overpasses along Melbourne's Monash Freeway holding racist and Islamophobic banners. Police said they had been alerted to offensive slogans being displayed at several locations along the freeway just after 9.30am on Saturday — the day of . A witness provided SBS News photos of several of the banners which read: "No black votes should count; No Muslim votes should count; and Only Aussie votes should count. Only Australian citizens aged 18 and over can vote in state and federal elections. Former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers in 2019 said voter fraud in Australia is negligible. He told a parliamentary committee in 2019 that it was "by and large a very small problem". The witness, who asked to remain anonymous, described the scenes as "disgusting". "Imagine having a little Asian child [or] a Muslim child in the back of a seat just driving with your family on a Saturday morning, and then you just see this racism," the witness, who is an Australian Muslim, told SBS News. "It's just disturbing." The witness said she saw about 30 people spread across three overpasses.
A Victoria Police spokesperson told SBS News in a statement: "Police have been told people were seen congregating on several foot and vehicle overpass bridges in the vicinity of Huntingdale Road. "It is believed the people involved, who were described as wearing all black and face coverings, were holding banners which displayed offensive slogans." An alt-right media outlet that promotes white supremacist ideologies published a story on the demonstration, reporting that two dozen members of neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Network (NSN), had been holding the signs. The article quoted NSN figure Joel Davis, but he did not make any statement as to whether he or the NSN were involved. An account appearing to belong to Davis shared the article on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. Victoria Police could not confirm whether the NSN was responsible, telling SBS News its investigation was ongoing. On Thursday, Victoria Police said it was investigating flyers authorised by the NSN that were delivered to Jewish households in Melbourne. In the past week, some other flyers titled "Flood Australia with Indians" were also seen, which were "authorised by Joel Davis, National Socialist Network". Visit the to access articles, podcasts and videos from SBS News, NITV and our teams covering more than 60 languages.
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Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Life was good for Parnia's family. Then an Israeli airstrike hit their Tehran apartment
An 8-year-old girl who loved dancing in a red dress at her dentist's office. A 28-year-old national equestrian champion. A poet one week away from her 24th birthday. A graphic designer who worked at National Geographic. Grandparents in their 80s. All are among the civilians killed during Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Warning: This story contains graphic details. Israel has said it does not target Iranian civilians, but hundreds have died in the violence. Every day since the war began, a new face, a new name, a new story of a life that ended violently and abruptly has emerged. The Ministry of Health has not updated casualty numbers since last Sunday, when it said at least 224 people had been killed and nearly 2000 injured, including women and children. Those figures are expected to grow in the coming days. In interviews with more than 50 residents of Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Sanandaj, Amol, Ghazvin, Semnan, Karaj, Neishabour, and Tabriz, doctors, families and friends described the toll of the strikes. The New York Times also reviewed scores of videos, photos and testimonies documenting civilian casualties, injuries and the destruction of residential buildings. The Israeli military has said the attacks on Iran are targeted assassinations of military commanders, government officials and nuclear scientists. But missiles and drones have also hit high-rise buildings and multistory apartment complexes where civilians also reside. Hossein Kermanpour, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said 90 per cent of casualties were civilians, not military. In Tehran, the Iranian capital, the frequency of the Israeli strikes has completely upended daily life. The constant thud of air defence systems, the loud boom of explosions and the wailing sirens of ambulances and fire trucks have replaced the sounds of a metropolis typically buzzing with traffic, street music and the Muslim call to prayer. Photos and videos show rescue crews rummaging through piles of debris. A father clutches his small baby in a white onesie drenched in blood. A man bleeding from the head leans against a motorcycle as a passerby tends his wound. The body of a small child, covered in gray dust, peeks out from the rubble. 'There's a lot of focus on the military targets but not much is being said about the many civilian casualties, in fact nothing is being said about them, which are much higher than the targeted killings,' said Jila Baniyagoub, a prominent journalist and women's rights activist in Tehran. Four physicians, including the director of a major hospital in Tehran, said emergency rooms were overwhelmed. The Ministry of Health announced on Monday that all medical staff members around the country were required to remain in their posts because of the acute need. 'This is unlike anything we've experienced before,' said Ali, a 43-year-old engineer in Tehran and father of two small children who asked that his last name not be published for fear of retribution from Iranian officials for speaking publicly. He said deaths and casualties were hitting closer to home everyday and that a friend's sister had been killed when a building collapsed on her after a targeted strike. Parnia Abbasi, the poet, graduated from college with a degree in English and landed a coveted job at the National Bank of Iran, where her mother had spent her career as a bank clerk until retirement. Her father was a public-school teacher. Abbasi once spoke at a panel for young poets and told the audience that she looked 'at all my life events as stories I could write.' About six months ago, her parents realised a lifelong dream of purchasing a three-bedroom apartment in the Orkideh Complex, a compound of high-rise apartment buildings on Sattarkhan Street in central Tehran. On Friday morning, the building collapsed after it was hit by an Israeli missile. The Abbasi family, including Parham, Abbasi's younger brother, were killed. 'They had bought this house six or seven months ago under great financial pressure so that the children could have their own rooms. The love between this family was the envy of everyone. They were always together,' said Hassan, a relative of the Abbasis' in Tehran, who asked that his last name not be published because of fears for his safety. Tara Hajimiri, 8, loved folk dance and gymnastics. A video of her wearing a red dress as she danced her way into the chair at her dentist's office went viral on social media. She and 60 residents were killed in a massive strike on an apartment building on Patrice Lumumba Street on Saturday. Reza, a 59-year-old computer engineer, said his aunt and uncle, a couple in their 80s, were killed in an airstrike while they were sleeping on Saturday night. The force of the explosion toppled the building, he said. The man had Parkinson's disease, said Reza. 'It's so sad that innocent civilians are being impacted by this war. They were loving grandparents.' The damage to the building was so extensive that rescue workers have not yet retrieved the bodies. The family was informed to consider the couple dead. Reza said the couple's adult children go to the site every day, waiting for the bodies to be pulled from the rubble. Saleh Bayrami, a veteran graphic designer for magazines like National Geographic and media companies, was driving home from a meeting on Sunday. He stopped at a red light at Quds Square, near the bustling Tajrish market in the northern part of Tehran. An Israeli missile landed on a major sewage pipe in the square, exploded into a ball of fire and killed him, according to colleagues and news reports. Ava Meshkatian, a colleague who sat next to him at work, wrote a tribute to Bayrami on her Instagram page, describing him as kind, friendly and always smiling. 'We have to write these things for others to read. For others to know, God only knows how devastated I am,' she wrote. Mehdi Poladvand, a 27-year-old member of a youth equestrian club and a national champion, spent the last day of his life Friday at a racetrack in Karaj competing in a race. Iranian news media described him as a rising talent who had won numerous championship titles in provincial competitions and national cups. He was killed along with his parents and sister when their apartment building was struck by an Israeli missile, his friend Arezou Malek, a fellow equestrian, told local Iranian media. At cemeteries across Iran, sombre funeral services are being held daily, sometimes as missiles fly overhead. The coffin of Niloufar Ghalehvand, 32, a Pilates instructor, was covered with the flag of Iran, according to videos shared on social media by the sporting club where she worked. A small crowd wearing black can be seen standing around the coffin. 'We will always remember you,' read a message from the sports club. 'No to War.'
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Life was good for Parnia's family. Then an Israeli airstrike hit their Tehran apartment
An 8-year-old girl who loved dancing in a red dress at her dentist's office. A 28-year-old national equestrian champion. A poet one week away from her 24th birthday. A graphic designer who worked at National Geographic. Grandparents in their 80s. All are among the civilians killed during Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Warning: This story contains graphic details. Israel has said it does not target Iranian civilians, but hundreds have died in the violence. Every day since the war began, a new face, a new name, a new story of a life that ended violently and abruptly has emerged. The Ministry of Health has not updated casualty numbers since last Sunday, when it said at least 224 people had been killed and nearly 2000 injured, including women and children. Those figures are expected to grow in the coming days. In interviews with more than 50 residents of Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Sanandaj, Amol, Ghazvin, Semnan, Karaj, Neishabour, and Tabriz, doctors, families and friends described the toll of the strikes. The New York Times also reviewed scores of videos, photos and testimonies documenting civilian casualties, injuries and the destruction of residential buildings. The Israeli military has said the attacks on Iran are targeted assassinations of military commanders, government officials and nuclear scientists. But missiles and drones have also hit high-rise buildings and multistory apartment complexes where civilians also reside. Hossein Kermanpour, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said 90 per cent of casualties were civilians, not military. In Tehran, the Iranian capital, the frequency of the Israeli strikes has completely upended daily life. The constant thud of air defence systems, the loud boom of explosions and the wailing sirens of ambulances and fire trucks have replaced the sounds of a metropolis typically buzzing with traffic, street music and the Muslim call to prayer. Photos and videos show rescue crews rummaging through piles of debris. A father clutches his small baby in a white onesie drenched in blood. A man bleeding from the head leans against a motorcycle as a passerby tends his wound. The body of a small child, covered in gray dust, peeks out from the rubble. 'There's a lot of focus on the military targets but not much is being said about the many civilian casualties, in fact nothing is being said about them, which are much higher than the targeted killings,' said Jila Baniyagoub, a prominent journalist and women's rights activist in Tehran. Four physicians, including the director of a major hospital in Tehran, said emergency rooms were overwhelmed. The Ministry of Health announced on Monday that all medical staff members around the country were required to remain in their posts because of the acute need. 'This is unlike anything we've experienced before,' said Ali, a 43-year-old engineer in Tehran and father of two small children who asked that his last name not be published for fear of retribution from Iranian officials for speaking publicly. He said deaths and casualties were hitting closer to home everyday and that a friend's sister had been killed when a building collapsed on her after a targeted strike. Parnia Abbasi, the poet, graduated from college with a degree in English and landed a coveted job at the National Bank of Iran, where her mother had spent her career as a bank clerk until retirement. Her father was a public-school teacher. Abbasi once spoke at a panel for young poets and told the audience that she looked 'at all my life events as stories I could write.' About six months ago, her parents realised a lifelong dream of purchasing a three-bedroom apartment in the Orkideh Complex, a compound of high-rise apartment buildings on Sattarkhan Street in central Tehran. On Friday morning, the building collapsed after it was hit by an Israeli missile. The Abbasi family, including Parham, Abbasi's younger brother, were killed. 'They had bought this house six or seven months ago under great financial pressure so that the children could have their own rooms. The love between this family was the envy of everyone. They were always together,' said Hassan, a relative of the Abbasis' in Tehran, who asked that his last name not be published because of fears for his safety. Tara Hajimiri, 8, loved folk dance and gymnastics. A video of her wearing a red dress as she danced her way into the chair at her dentist's office went viral on social media. She and 60 residents were killed in a massive strike on an apartment building on Patrice Lumumba Street on Saturday. Reza, a 59-year-old computer engineer, said his aunt and uncle, a couple in their 80s, were killed in an airstrike while they were sleeping on Saturday night. The force of the explosion toppled the building, he said. The man had Parkinson's disease, said Reza. 'It's so sad that innocent civilians are being impacted by this war. They were loving grandparents.' The damage to the building was so extensive that rescue workers have not yet retrieved the bodies. The family was informed to consider the couple dead. Reza said the couple's adult children go to the site every day, waiting for the bodies to be pulled from the rubble. Saleh Bayrami, a veteran graphic designer for magazines like National Geographic and media companies, was driving home from a meeting on Sunday. He stopped at a red light at Quds Square, near the bustling Tajrish market in the northern part of Tehran. An Israeli missile landed on a major sewage pipe in the square, exploded into a ball of fire and killed him, according to colleagues and news reports. Ava Meshkatian, a colleague who sat next to him at work, wrote a tribute to Bayrami on her Instagram page, describing him as kind, friendly and always smiling. 'We have to write these things for others to read. For others to know, God only knows how devastated I am,' she wrote. Mehdi Poladvand, a 27-year-old member of a youth equestrian club and a national champion, spent the last day of his life Friday at a racetrack in Karaj competing in a race. Iranian news media described him as a rising talent who had won numerous championship titles in provincial competitions and national cups. He was killed along with his parents and sister when their apartment building was struck by an Israeli missile, his friend Arezou Malek, a fellow equestrian, told local Iranian media. At cemeteries across Iran, sombre funeral services are being held daily, sometimes as missiles fly overhead. The coffin of Niloufar Ghalehvand, 32, a Pilates instructor, was covered with the flag of Iran, according to videos shared on social media by the sporting club where she worked. A small crowd wearing black can be seen standing around the coffin. 'We will always remember you,' read a message from the sports club. 'No to War.'
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Australia worried about escalation as US shifts bombers
Australia is concerned the situation in the Middle East could swell into a larger conflict after the US moved bomber planes. The B-2 bombers were shifted to the Pacific Island of Guam as President Donald Trump considers whether the US should join Israel's strikes against Iran. Though it is unclear whether the deployment is linked to the tensions in the Middle East, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said he would not speculate on the why the US had moved its planes. "We are worried about the prospect for escalation here and this entering into some wider kind of conflict," he told Sky News on Sunday. "We've been urging dialogue and diplomacy and we continue to do that now." The federal government has repeatedly insisted Australia is not a central player in the conflict, which was triggered in mid June when the Israeli military launched attacks on Iran in what it claimed was a bid to wipe out Iran's nuclear program. At least 430 people have been killed and another 3500 injured in Iran according to Iranian media outlet Nour News, while local Israeli authorities have reported 24 civilian deaths and almost 1300 injuries. Opposition frontbencher Dan Tehan insisted the easiest way to reach a resolution was for Iran to state it will not pursue nuclear weapons and allow independent verification. But Mr Tehan took issue with the federal government's relationship with Israel, claiming Labor politicians "seem to have isolated themselves from the Israeli government". "This has left them in a situation where they're trying to walk two sides here," Mr Tehan told Sky News. "What we need to see from the government is greater moral clarity as to whether they do, once and for all, want to see Iran get rid of its nuclear weapons program." Mr Marles maintained Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was "most definitely a threat" to the peace and stability of the world, while also expressing concern about the conflict's escalation. "Both of those things can sit together," he said. "We recognise Israel's right to defend itself and we very much acknowledge the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents." France and other Australian allies have also echoed similar positions. About 2600 Australians in Iran are seeking assisted departures from the region, alongside about 1200 in Israel as the government urges travellers not to venture to either nation. Staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs are helping Australians leave and defence assets are expected to be deployed to assist evacuation efforts. However, the government has insisted they will not be used in combat. Some Australians have already evacuated through land crossings but the government is also poised to help citizens leave once the airspace over both nations re-opens. With Reuters
