Protesters have gatecrashed the iconic Christmas window unveiling at Myer as families tried to celebrate the 70-year-old festive tradition.
The pro-palestinian supporters gathered at the front of the Myer Christmas windows on Bourke Street, in Melbourne’s CBD, just after 10am on Sunday.
The group had threatened to destroy the unveiling to raise awareness of the ongoing war in Gaza.
Myer called of its traditional grand opening and opted for a largely scaled-back rendition, with Santa and a few Myer staff members pulling down the curtain on the Australia Zoo themed windows at 7.30am.
Protesters had called off their disruptive plans, however a small handful were at the early morning unveiling as part of a ‘Morons 4 Palestine’ protest.
They were heard chanting slogans including ‘bombs are dropping, while you’re shopping’ as they blew bubbles through the street.
The protest group, which initially threatened a large demonstration outside the windows is separate from the organising group which has run protests through the city every Sunday since October 7, 2023.
In Melbourne, a vocal protester shouting ‘free Palestine’ made her presence known during a live television cross to a reporter.
The demonstrator was dressed as a police officer, wearing clown make up, and holding a sign which read ‘you look stupid staring at windows when kids are being murdered’.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network organises the weekly march through the city, and is diverting its demonstration on Sunday away from Myer.
At least 43,000 Gazans have been killed in direct conflict since October 7, 2023 – about 70 per cent of those are children or women.
Oxfam says Palestinians are being starved as a military tactic, and aid agencies estimate 96 per cent of Gazans face high levels of food shortages.
Australia changed its position at the UN for the first time in 20 years this week, voting with 158 other countries including the UK, New Zealand, France, Germany and Japan, for a resolution to recognise the ‘permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources’.
The US, Canada and Israel were among seven nations which voted against the resolution.
In light of the protest action figuratively clashing with a family Christmas tradition, Premier Jacinta Allan faced questions this week about whether Victoria needed a NSW-style protest permit system.
‘Do we really think the same sort of morons who want to disrupt a beautiful Christmas tradition for families is going to apply for a permit?’ she said on Friday.
‘(The windows) will be open for the thousands and thousands of Victorians from all different backgrounds, from all different parts of the state, to come and enjoy that beautiful family tradition,’ the Premier said.
Myer in the centre of Melbourne has displayed decorative Christmas windows each year for the past 70 years.
Information from Myer shows the first window display, ‘Santa and the Olympics’, was erected in 1956.
The most recent display themes have been: Bluey (2023), Disney 100 year anniversary (2022), Peter Rabbit (2021) and Christmas is Uncancelled (2020).
