Three charged after protest at Israeli-owned restaurant in Australia

Trio charged with assault and other offences after incident at restaurant in Melbourne.

Three people have been charged with assault and other offences allegedly committed during a pro-Palestinian protest at an Israeli-owned restaurant in Melbourne, Australia.

A 50-year-old man and two women, aged 48 and 28, were charged with assault, affray, riotous behaviour and criminal damage, Victoria Police said on Tuesday.

Police allege that several people were involved in an altercation in which chairs were thrown and a glass door was damaged after about 20 protesters converged on the city-centre restaurant Miznon on Friday.

Police said investigations into the incident were ongoing.

The Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance, an activist group, said after the incident that the restaurant had been targeted as a “site for direct action” due to its ownership by Shahar Segal, an Israeli businessman who has served as a spokesperson for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

“If a person openly supports the terrorist state of Israel, especially what Amnesty International describes as their ‘deadly, dehumanising and ineffective militarised aid scheme’, they and their business are a fair target,” the activist group said.

A separate statement posted on social media by a person or people describing themselves as a “group of autonomous individuals” denied instigating violence and blamed the altercation on employees from another restaurant in the vicinity.

The GHF, which is backed by the United States and Israel, has received widespread condemnation amid numerous reports of Israeli forces killing Palestinians in the vicinity of its distribution centres.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday that at least 743 Palestinians had been killed and more than 4,891 others injured while seeking assistance at the distribution sites.

Segal said in a social media post on Saturday that he had departed from his “temporary” and “volunteer” role with GHF. He did not provide a reason.

Miznon said in a statement on Tuesday that Friday’s incident had had a “profound impact” on its staff.

“The actions of a few, caused much distress to our customers and to neighbouring restaurant patrons and staff,” the statement said.

“While others have chosen to speak about who we are and decided we are a legitimate target for protest, we want to be clear about who we are, in our words. We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome,” the statement continued.

“Our greatest joy is to feed people from every background and viewpoint and to see the joy on people’s faces as they enjoy our food and each other’s company. That is our purpose and our objective.”

Separately, Victoria Police on Sunday charged a 34-year-old man with a series of offences related to a suspicious fire at a synagogue in inner-city Melbourne on Friday.

Authorities have said they have not established any link between the incidents.