Key Points
- Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen has cancelled an Iftar dinner with Victoria's Muslim community.
- There had been calls to boycott the dinner amid tensions over the Hamas-Israel war.
- Muslim campaign organisers who had led a push for the dinner to be cancelled "applauded" the premier's decision.
The Victorian premier has cancelled an upcoming Iftar dinner following growing calls for a boycott over Australia's response to the Hamas-Israel war.
A statement from Victorian Muslim campaign organisers who had led a push for the dinner to be cancelled said in a statement they "applauded" the cancellation.
Jacinta Allan announced on Thursday the dinner, held during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, would not go ahead for the first time since 2015.
"Our role here in Victoria is to support the community, not add to distress and grief, and it's in that context the dinner will not be proceeding this year," Allan told reporters in Ballarat.
Allan said she still intends to attend private Ramadan events.
It came after Islamic groups in both Victoria and NSW announced they would skip dinners in their respective states because of the suffering and oppression of Palestinians and the planned assault on Rafah by Israel coinciding with Ramadan.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Adel Salman told ABC Radio on Wednesday the community was in "no mood" for a celebratory event and it would be inappropriate to host the dinner.
"There's no question there is a level of frustration with the federal government and their position on the conflict," he said.
Almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's post-7 October invasion of Gaza, according to the local health ministry.
An open letter calling on Victoria's Muslim community to boycott the dinner had more than 150 endorsements.
Community leader and campaigner Mohammad Helmy said: "The cancellation represents a moment of reflection, acknowledging the profound sentiments within the Victorian Muslim community and their allies concerning the imperative for our leaders to take a principled stance on human rights and justice."
"The cancellation is viewed as a positive step forward," the statement read.
"While it is regrettable the requested actions were not taken, it signals a willingness to listen and to begin to address the significant issues we have raised, particularly the need for a principled stand on the rights of Palestinians and all oppressed peoples."
Campaign organisers also asked for the government to engage with the Muslim community and its allies.
The Islamic Council of NSW also said it would decline any invites from state or Commonwealth governments "due to the great anguish and sense of abandonment that we and the Islamic community are feeling in relation to the ongoing events in Palestine and the response from our elected officials."
