NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has condemned pro-Palestine demonstrations held on the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, saying Australians must reject attempts to “rewrite history” while also recognising the suffering caused by the war in Gaza.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has strongly criticised pro-Palestine protesters who demonstrated across Australia on the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, accusing some activists of attempting to “rewrite history”.
Speaking at a commemoration event at the Central Synagogue in Bondi, Ms Sloane said the anniversary should remain a day to remember the victims of the Hamas-led attack on Israel and the wider consequences that followed.
“Tonight, we remember the victims. We remember the lives that they lived, not simply the horror of how they died,” she said.
Ms Sloane also linked the anniversary to the rise in antisemitism experienced by Jewish Australians over the past three years.
She referred to attacks on synagogues, homes, cars and businesses, and said Jewish communities had been left deeply shaken by incidents that would once have seemed unimaginable in Australia.
“No one can erase history”
Pro-Palestine groups held demonstrations in several Australian cities on Wednesday.
In Sydney, one young activist was photographed holding a homemade poster featuring slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The timing of the demonstrations drew criticism from political leaders, with NSW Premier Chris Minns describing the decision to protest on October 7 as “heartless”.
Ms Sloane said she was “absolutely sickened” by the demonstrations.
“No one can erase history or rewrite history as some are trying to do today,” she said.
“People have a right to protest the war in Gaza. It is natural to be distressed about the immense loss of life, but there is nothing natural about commemorating this day and using this day to rewrite horror.”
Her remarks sought to draw a distinction between opposition to the war in Gaza and demonstrations held specifically on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks.
Call to reject antisemitism
Ms Sloane urged Australians to confront extremist rhetoric and reject antisemitism regardless of where it comes from.
“We need to stare down that sickening rhetoric,” she said.
She argued that remembrance should go beyond annual ceremonies and should include a broader commitment to challenge hatred and intimidation.
“It means refusing to normalise antisemitism,” she said.
“It means calling out hatred, whether it comes from the extreme left or the extreme right, Islamic extremism, or anywhere else.”
October 7 and its impact in Australia
The October 7 anniversary continues to carry strong emotional and political significance in Australia, particularly for Jewish and Palestinian communities.
The attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza have intensified debate across the country over antisemitism, Islamophobia, protest rights, civilian casualties and the appropriate way to commemorate traumatic events.
Ms Sloane’s intervention reflects that wider tension.
Her message was that Australians should be free to protest the war in Gaza, but that doing so on the anniversary of October 7 risks being seen by many as diminishing or reframing the significance of the original attack.
For Ms Sloane, the central issue is remembrance.
Three years on, she argued, the responsibility is not only to remember those killed on October 7, but also to ensure that hatred directed at Jewish Australians is not allowed to become normalised.