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The prime minister was escorted from the mosque by security as furious Muslims screamed at him.
07:59, Fri, Mar 20, 2026 Updated: 08:02, Fri, Mar 20, 2026
Anthony Albanese attended a Ramadan event at one of Australia's biggest mosques (Image: SARAH WILSON/EPA/Shutterstock)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was chased out of a mosque by angry Muslims who slammed him as a "genocide supporter" with "blood on his hands". The revolt unfolded at one of the nation's largest mosques during a Ramadan celebration on Friday (March 20).
Mr Albanese attended the event at Lakemba Mosque, Sydney, alongside Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. However, the celebration to mark the end of the religious holiday soon turned volatile, with crowds turning on the prime minister and questioning why he was in attendance. One man yelled "genocide supporters" at the pair while others screamed: "Why is he in here? Get him out of here!"
Meanwhile, as reported by The Telegraph, the mosque's secretary, Gamel Kheir, urged the crowds to calm down. It's reported that physical confrontations broke out before the secretary urged people to "engage and have frank and open dialogue with our political leaders".
However, footage shows one person shout back: "You called him honourable, he’s responsible for the deaths of one million people, one million of our brothers and sisters." Calls of allahu akbar, god is great, could also be heard on footage.
The prime minister was escorted out of the mosque by security before his motorbike departed the area. The crowds continued to shout him down, with cries of "shame on you" and the slur "Alba-tizi", an Arabic play on Mr Albanese's surname referencing the buttocks.
Despite the discontent, Mr Albanese later posted photos on X showing him shaking hands with people at the event. He wrote: "Eid Mubarak. An honour join thousands for Eid al-Fitr at Lakemba Mosque this morning."
He also played down the incident to reporters, telling them: "Overwhelmingly, the reception was incredibly positive. I walked through the crowd to the mosque, and not a single person heckled. There were a couple of hecklers inside; they were dealt with.
"Contrary to what’s been suggested, no one was rushed out. We just sat there … it was dealt with by the community themselves because overwhelmingly they did not want that to occur."
The ugly scenes unfolded at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney (Image: SARAH WILSON/EPA/Shutterstock)
Mr Albanese previously noted hostility among the Australian Muslim communities over his government's initial support for Israel's counter-invasion of the Gaza Strip. There has been a recent breakdown in trust between the 800,000 Muslims in the country and the Labour government.
Seklaoui, 29, who confronted the prime minister at the mosque, said: "He wants to come here after shaking hands with the President of Israel, who’s got blood on his hands. To come here and act like nothing has happened is a disgrace."
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In February, police forcibly removed Muselims while they were praying during a protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog. There has also been a rise in Islamophobia since the Bondi Beach terror attack in December.
Many Muslims have since felt abandoned by Mr Albanese and his government. They claim the prime minister hasn't done enough to protect them from such islamophobic incidents.
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