Small Business: Anti-Israel Protests

Since Parliament broke for the winter recess an issue that has been going on for some time flared up dramatically in the form of violent protests on the streets in Melbourne.

As we all know, small businesses are already doing it tough as a result of challenging economic times here and abroad. As someone who has operated a small business for over 20 years I have been deeply troubled by the actions of the extreme left-wing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, the members of which regularly rampage through Melbourne's major shopping centres in their attempts to intimidate and damage businesses with perceived links to Israel with no regard whatsoever for other small businesses that they hurt along the way.

Recent protests in Melbourne Central and QV targeting a particular chocolate shop, namely Max Brenner, have resulted in disruptions to trade during peak hours for over 200 businesses which have nothing to do with this issue. The protesters appear to have little regard for these small businesses that are already experiencing difficulty. I welcome the initiatives of the Premier and the Minister for Consumer Affairs. The Premier issued a statement last month condemning these protests, and the minister has asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate whether these protesters have broken any laws.

We all recognise that people have the right to protest, but these activists are trespassing on private property. Their actions have made it clear that they are using this issue to attack small businesses and they have no regard for who they hurt along the way.

In the past few weeks I have met with centre management at both centres to discuss this issue and offer my support for their efforts to combat the protesters. There is no place in Victoria for these protesters.