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'Heartless': Pro-Palestinian groups criticised for October 7 vigils

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Cite

Corvo, S. (2026, October 6). 'Heartless': Pro-Palestinian groups criticised for October 7 vigils. ABC News (AU). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-06/sydney-palestine-protest-on-israel-october-7-attack-anniversary/107232144

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

ABC News (AU) · collected 2026-10-06 · by Shannon Corvo

Quick Summary

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane have criticized pro-Palestinian groups for planning vigils on October 7, the third anniversary of Hamas's attacks on Israel that killed over 1,200 people. The premier called such events "heartless" and urged police to maintain public safety, while Sloane described them as "sickening and reprehensible." Pro-Palestinian organizers argue their vigils also commemorate Israel’s subsequent military response in Gaza. Jewish organizations are planning separate commemorations for the victims of the attack.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 7, 2024, pro-Palestinian groups in Sydney and Melbourne planned vigils marking the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people. The NSW Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane condemned these events as "obscene" and "heartless," respectively, amid ongoing commemorations by Jewish organizations across Australia to honor those lost in the terrorist attack. In Melbourne, tensions escalated during a pro-Palestinian vigil with rival Israeli supporters staging a counter-protest, leading to confrontations between demonstrators and police. Meanwhile, an activist at a Sydney event held a flag linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization, and a poster depicting slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, further exacerbating tensions. These vigils have drawn criticism from Jewish leaders and Australian politicians who argue that organizing such events on this date is deliberately antagonistic.

Written for “Palestinian Vigils Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Palestinian Vigils Controversy
Politics · 5 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Euronews
Hedges 1 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different aspects of commemorations related to October 7, but Article A discusses criticism of pro-Palestinian vigils in Sydney, while Article B describes a siren and memorial event in Tel Aviv.”
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses hateful social media posts from organizers of an Islamic wellness retreat, while Article B covers criticism of pro-Palestinian vigils planned for the anniversary of Hamas attacks on Israel.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different events: one about a protest against a police raid over a kite-flying event, and another about criticism of pro-Palestinian vigils marking an anniversary.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 2 of 33 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different events: one is about a survivor being booed at an anti-IDF film premiere, while the other is about criticism of pro-Palestinian vigils on the anniversary of Hamas attacks.”
BBC News
Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different locations and contexts, with Article A focusing on a planned protest in London while Article B covers criticism of vigils in Sydney.”
National Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 0 of 20 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses a planned anti-Israel event at University of Toronto that was canceled, while Article B covers criticism of pro-Palestinian vigils in Sydney and elsewhere.”
Fox News
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 1 of 30 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A discusses a Senate resolution remembering victims, while Article B reports criticism of pro-Palestinian vigils and planned commemorations on the anniversary of Hamas attacks.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 35 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the attack and rescue of a baby during the October 7 Hamas attacks, while Article B discusses criticisms of vigils planned for the anniversary of those attacks.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
13%
3 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
68/100
ABC News (AU)'s corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

ABC News (AU) · 4688 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Shannon Corvo
3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 But if you were to peek under his shirt as he read particular news bulletins in late 1987, you would find another passion.
🔮 The premier said NSW Police would "keep the public safe".
🔮 Clients couldn't get through to pick up their kids," she said.
Also by Shannon Corvo
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Gaza Hamas Israel NSW Sydney

Subjects

Israel GPE · 6× Gaza GPE · 3× Labor ORG · 3× NSW GPE · 3× Sydney GPE · 3× Hamas ORG · 2× Minns PERSON · 2× Jewish NORP · 1× NSW Police ORG · 1× Pro-Palestinian NORP · 1×

Narrative

'Pick any other date' NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane told 702 ABC Sydney she found "the whole thing entirely sickening and reprehensible". "A lot of people are very distressed by what they're seeing in Gaza and should be able to protest," she said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-06
🔮 The premier said NSW Police would "keep the public safe".
2026-10-06 · ABC News (AU)
'Heartless': Pro-Palestinian groups criticised for October 7 vigils · assertive framing

Claims (23 extracted, 3 hedged)

In short: The NSW premier and opposition leader have criticised pro-Palestinian groups that are holding vigils on the anniversary of Hamas's deadly attacks on Israel. asserted
that → criticise → Israel
Organisers of the Sydney event say it also marks the day Israel launched air strikes in response. asserted
Israel → say → response
The premier said NSW Police would "keep the public safe". asserted
Police → say → public
Pro-Palestinian organisations have been criticised for planning vigils for the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. asserted
people → criticise → which
Jewish organisations across the country will hold commemorations on Wednesday for those lost in the terrorist attack. asserted
organisations → hold → attack
Jews Against the Occupation 48 will also hold a vigil in Sydney and Wollongong Friends of Palestine will gather "to stop and remember the martyrs and all those who suffer and continue to resist". asserted
who → hold → martyrs
The organisers of the Sydney vigil are using the slogan "Don't let Israel steal the date" and said October 7 was also three years since air strikes began on Gaza in response to the attack. asserted
strikes → use → attack
They said, according to the Israel Defense Force's timeline, its fighter jets conducted strikes in Gaza the same morning, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war. uncertain
Israel → say → war
NSW Premier Chris Minns has condemned the pro-Palestine events being held on that day, labelling them "heartless" and "in poor taste". asserted
Minns → condemn → taste
He said he believed organisers chose the date to attract attention and feared the vigil would not prove be as peaceful as organisers may wish. uncertain
organisers → say → attention
"There are some people suggesting it can be stopped, the constitution doesn't allow that," he said. asserted
he → be → that
"They can certainly do that, it's not against the law but as a citizen I've got a right to make a judgement on it too." asserted
I → get → it
Mr Minns added: "Police will do what they always do and that is keep the public safe." asserted
that → add → public
He also asked his Labor colleagues not to attend. asserted
He → ask → colleagues
"I can certainly speak for my cabinet and I can certainly speak for my senior colleagues but history has proven I can't speak for all of them," he said "In all fairness, I don't know if anyone's [Labor MPs] going to go." asserted
MPs → speak → fairness
'Pick any other date' NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane told 702 ABC Sydney she found "the whole thing entirely sickening and reprehensible". "A lot of people are very distressed by what they're seeing in Gaza and should be able to protest," she said. asserted
she → pick → Gaza
"But this undermines that very intent of peace by having it on a day where 1,200 innocent people were slaughtered in the most brutal and unimaginable way, at a time when there was no retaliation by Israel." asserted
people → undermine → Israel
Ms Sloane said she wanted the premier to explain how the events would be managed. asserted
events → say → ?
"There have been so many rallies that have been declared to be peaceful that turn out to be anything but," she said. asserted
she → declare → ?
"We need to make sure that if that happens that we use the laws to make sure that these people are held to account." asserted
people → need → account
She acknowledged that events that organisers have described as a peaceful gathering could not be banned but urged protesters to "pick any other date of the year". uncertain
organisers → acknowledge → year
"364 other dates are possible ... if you believe in peace, then please choose them," she said. asserted
she → believe → them
She also demanded Mr Minns order Labor MPs to stay away from the planned events. asserted
Minns → demand → events
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