The Australian federal police has launched a taskforce to investigate at least nine allegations of prohibited symbols being displayed in Victoria, in response to Hezbollah flags being flown at pro-Palestine and Lebanon protests on Sunday.
In a statement, the AFP said Operation Ardvarna would investigate the display of prohibited symbols “while potentially inciting or advocating violence, or hatred, based on race and religion”.
The AFP said three of the reports had been provided by Victoria police, while one was made to the national security hotline and four others came via a crime-reporting portal. One was based on a investigation into a media article that allegedly identified an individual, the AFP said.
“It is likely the number of investigations will increase, and some state and territory police agencies have their own investigations under way,” the AFP said.
The AFP’s counter-terrorism and special investigations command in Victoria established the taskforce.
Australia has designated Hezbollah – a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group – as a terrorist organisation since 2021. The display of prohibited symbols is outlawed when carried with intent to incite hatred or violence.
Protesters in Sydney and Melbourne over the weekend flew the Hezbollah flag after the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday.
Victoria police said on Wednesday it had made a number of referrals to the Australian federal police relating to protests allegedly involving prohibited symbols.
New South Wales police on Wednesday charged a 19-year-old woman after a Hezbollah flag was allegedly displayed at a pro-Palestine and Lebanon protest in Sydney on the weekend.
NSW police said the woman handed herself in at Kogarah police station after the force released images of her and appealed for her to come forward.
The AFP said it was providing support to state and territory police agencies ahead of expected protests that will coincide with the one-year anniversary of the 7 October anniversary of Hamas attacks on Israel.
It said the nine investigations were a priority and the agency could continue its regular role of investigating terrorism, radicalisation, foreign interference and espionage.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, on Thursday said Victoria police had the necessary powers to deal with people who “may be displaying terrorist flags”.
“In terms of what happens operationally on the ground, those are operational decisions in the moment,” she said.
