Waleed Aly criticized by Jewish leader after explaining why protesters have the right to wave Hezbollah flag and hold up photos of fallen leader

On Monday, Aly said the nature of the law makes it difficult to prosecute Australian protesters who tried to show solidarity with Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader who was killed by the Israeli army on September 28.

This followed a series of pro-Palestinian protests in Sydney and Melbourne, where demonstrators responded to Israel’s military actions against Hezbollah by waving Palestinian, Lebanese and Hezbollah flags.

In Sydney, protesters, including children, held images of Nasrallah and chanted outside City Hall.

Meanwhile, in Melbourne, large crowds gathered at the State Library of Victoria, waving flags, chanting slogans and lighting green torches.

During The Project, co-host Steve Price criticized the Australian Federal Police’s initial response to the protests, stating that simply displaying terrorist symbols was insufficient to make an arrest.

Aly responded by explaining the complexities of the law.

“I certainly don’t like it,” Aly replied. ‘I have nothing good to say about Hezbollah.

“They (the AFP) say that given the way the law is written, the violation does not merely perpetuate that symbol. That is not all that is necessary for the offense, it is necessary, but not all.

“There must also be other elements, especially incitement and defamation. That’s where it gets difficult. That’s where I think the police investigation will take some time, because it’s not just about whether you waved a sign.”

Aly’s comments were criticized by Gregory, who told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that Aly should “carefully reconsider his words”.

“Waleed Aly should not excuse the disgraceful behavior we saw this weekend,” Gregory said.

“Hezbollah is an evil terrorist organization, responsible for the murder of thousands. It’s shameful that Waleed would be ambiguous.

“As a public figure, and particularly one from the Muslim community, Aly should do his utmost to condemn in the strongest possible terms any support for a terrorist organization on Australian streets,” he added.

On Tuesday, the AFP confirmed it had launched “multiple investigations” into the protests.

Authorities are specifically investigating six reports from Victoria Police regarding possible breaches of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) Act 2023.

Channel 10 has been contacted for comment.