On Monday 20 April, residents were shut out of a routine council meeting during a motion to show solidarity with Greater Dandenong’s Lebanese residents, amidst the ongoing invasion of Lebanon by Israel. 

This decision was made by chief executive Jacqui Weatherill following “advice from Victoria Police.”

“The health and safety of councillors, staff and visitors is of utmost importance, and we will always take action to ensure the safety of our meetings,” she said.

The decision sparked outrage both within and outside the public gallery where protesters chanted “Let us in!”

Within, councillor Rhonda Garad, who introduced the motion, challenged the decision to close the meeting, stating, “it was deeply distressing that the council locked out Dandenong residents who came to support the motion—many from the Lebanese community, who have been greatly affected by the illegal war on their home country.”

Deepcut News was informed that the “council provided no evidence to justify shutting the community out—no indication of risk, harm or threats—only that Victoria Police advised a group was coming.”

A Dandenong resident spoke to Victoria Police officers at the scene and was informed that the security risk in question was a potential counter-protest that ultimately did not materialise.

“There has been no history or record of violence with the Free Palestine Dandenong group. There were no threats or identified risks,” Councillor Garad said.

An anonymous attendee felt alienated by the decision, stressing, “yet again we are being silenced, excluded and ignored. The way this council treated Ukrainian refugees was glaringly different from the way it responded to its longstanding Lebanese community.”

The motion was ultimately rejected, and was met with a counter-motion from Labor councillor Sean O’Reilly, which sought to include Israel alongside Lebanon and Palestine.

While he has supported other similar decisions, O’Reilly argued that the Middle East war is “multi-dimensional with multiple aggressors,” which distinguishes it from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Despite the three-week ceasefire extension, Israel continued its attacks on southern Lebanon only hours after it was made effective. Since 2 March, 2,491 Lebanese civilians have been killed according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Solidarity motions are common in council motions. In the past, Greater Dandenong has supported motions on other overseas conflicts, including a 2022 motion condemning violence against Hazara people in Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“That’s what responsible councils who represent their constituents—all of their constituents—do. We don’t pick and choose which group of human beings are more deserving of support. But that’s precisely what my fellow councillors did, and I’m ashamed of that,” Councillor Garad said.

The community is now demanding an investigation into the decision to lock out residents. 

Image Source: Dandenong Star Journal