What happened to the Left’s ‘politically correct’ mantra of not causing cultural offense because ‘words are literally violence’?

It is hard to think of anything more insulting to the average Australian than protesters refashioning their flags over the weekend with symbols of Australia’s Ned Kelly clutching a rifle with the phrase, ‘Our boys in green and gold will win!’ (Referring to Hezbollah.)

It’s time for Australians to be offended – to be outraged – at the cultural misappropriation of our national symbols and historical stories by protesters that the police should have arrested last week but failed to do so out of a severe moral weakness and general acceptance that they have lost control of the security situation in this country.

‘The legal advice we’ve received at the moment is that that would not fulfil an offence,’ said Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna.

Oh, it’s offensive… Don’t worry about that.

What happened to hate speech laws and laws regarding culture? Or do those only apply to Indigenous culture and not the protection of colonial heritage? Ned Kelly has jack-all to do with a Middle Eastern conflict.

The natural tolerance of Australia has been pushed too far. We want our streets back and we want protesters to keep their hands off Ned Kelly.

The behaviour of protesters in general, who seem unconcerned that they are ruining the school holidays for hundreds of thousands of kids with their selfish political activism, is getting tiring.

One activist at the event said, ‘Thanks to NSW Police for making us f-ing relevant.’

Charming.

The NSW Premier, Chris Minns, called the protest held on the anniversary of the terror attack on Israel ‘grossly insensitive’ but has done precious little to stop it.

As far as we can tell, there hasn’t even been a visa check on those clutching portraits of Iran’s supreme leader or the dead Hezbollah terror leader. Hopefully they will run out of portraits to clutch as Israel continues to work its way through the Hezbollah leadership.

Belatedly, and far too late to achieve anything other than a limp-wristed caution, the Australian Federal Police have launched a new taskforce to look into nine individuals who allegedly carried Hezbollah flags in Victoria – but not Sydney. So far the only arrest in Sydney has been for an earlier protest after a woman handed herself in.

‘It is likely the number of investigations will increase, and some state and territory police agencies have their own investigations underway,’ said a statement from the AFP.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan’s reply was ridiculous in its watery avoidance, almost Harris-esque in its incoherence. ‘In terms of what happens operationally on the ground,’ she said, ‘those are operational decisions in the moment.’

Those who say they are on the streets protesting because children should not be killed are marching in solidarity with a regime that butchered children on October 7. The hypocrisy is real. Both Hezbollah and Hamas deliberately put children on the frontline of their wars. They are perpetrators of child-soldier armies and child suicide bombers who have convinced parents that it is an honour for their kids to kill themselves in the name of the Islamic extremist cause. The softness with which Australia’s state media and left-leaning media leave the ‘solidarity’ claims unchallenged is an insult to the intelligence of every Australian.

And what did Hezbollah (well, what’s left of Hezbollah) have to say about the Australian protests?

‘From Australia to the world: Stop the “Israeli” Aggression on Lebanon.’

Because of the failure of our political leaders and our police forces, Hezbollah are now associating Australia with the ‘from the river to the sea’ chant. We are being incorporated into terrorist slogans and our nation is being used as fodder for propaganda.

This is an insult and a disgrace that cannot be allowed to stand.

What an embarrassment – to the nation, to the cities, and to our wasted tax dollars.