AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was heckled today during an event at Sydney Mosque to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Mr Albanese and his Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were attending an event at Lakemba Mosque to attend Friday morning Eid prayers.

But several of those attending the event jeered the politicians and accused them of being “genocide supporters,” as Gamel Kheir, one of the mosque leaders, gave a speech calling for an improvement in engagement with Muslim Australians by the government.

A man who heckled the prime minister was removed from the mosque by police but later released without charge.

Mr Albanese continued to be jeered as he made his way out of the mosque, with one person shouting: “Get him out of here! It’s a disgrace.”

There is deep upset within Australia’s Muslim community over the government’s response to Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza, its attacks in Lebanon and rising Islamophobia at home.

In a statement after the event, the Lebanese Muslim Association, which operates the mosque, said: “We understand that emotions are high, particularly given the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the devastation in Lebanon. These are not distant issues for our community.” 

Mr Albanese later said his reception from the 30,000 crowd at the mosque was “incredibly positive.”