Activists defaced federal MP Libby Coker’s office last week to draw attention to Labor’s lack of action in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Signs were installed, messages plastered to the office and windows were spray painted, proclaiming “Silence is complicity”, “Free Gaza” and “Please Stop”, while a Teddy bear covered in red was placed slumped in the office’s doorway.
A group of anonymous “concerned residents” issued a press release last Thursday, not quite taking responsibility for the actions but saying “all federal Labor politicians need to be held accountable for failing to name, unambiguously, what is occurring in Gaza”.
“In addition to calling for a permanent ceasefire, the Albanese government – of which Ms Coker is a member – also needs to take action to stop the slaughter in Gaza,” the statement read.
“It must stop weapons exports to Israel, cut diplomatic ties and apply all other possible sanctions against the Israeli government to end the Israeli occupation of Gaza and settlements in the West Bank. It must also lobby other countries to do the same.”
They said Ms Coker had been targeted because, as a former teacher, she should be speaking out against the “mass murder of children and the bombing of schools” and her “strong stance on Israeli human rights abuses when in opposition”.
In response to the activists’ actions, Ms Coker said she too felt “profoundly saddened by what continues to unfold.”
“This conflict is having a devastating impact and I respect the right of our community to protest peacefully,” she said.
“It is impossible to absorb the harrowing images from the conflict with anything less than distress and horror.”
Australian aid agencies reported this week more than 18,000 people, including 7000 children, had been killed since Hamas’ attacks on Israel, with survivors “facing catastrophic conditions”.
Since the defacement of Ms Coker’s office, Australia has joined 152 UN countries calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, which Ms Coker supported publicly on Wednesday.
“I welcome our prime minister’s statement today calling for a ceasefire in Gaza,” she said.
“Many people throughout our community are mourning the significant loss of innocent lives, and I’d like to express my condolences to all families and communities affected by the violence. The suffering, destruction, and killing of innocent lives must end now.”
