For years, the ABC has dismissed its critics as a fringe collection of cranks and culture warriors. So I fronted up to the broadcaster’s Melbourne headquarters this week to see who was actually turning up to protest.

What I found wasn’t a fringe movement at all. Around 60 Australians gathered on a Tuesday afternoon outside the taxpayer-funded broadcaster, including members of the Jewish community, the Persian-Iranian community, and plenty of ordinary Aussies who have simply had enough.

They have had enough of the bias, enough of the activism, and enough of being told they are the problem by a broadcaster that burns through more than $1.5 billion of public money every year while refusing to seriously confront the accusations levelled against it.

Melbourne, Australia - Protesters gathered outside @abcnews headquarters, alleging biased reporting on Israel & antisemitism

Protestors also noted refusal by @abcnews to adopt IHRA definition antisemitism@theage @australian @theheraldsun @3AW693 @aus_jewishnews @Jerusalem_Post pic.twitter.com/xIHuBA6MMj

— Menachem Vorchheimer (@MenachemV) June 2, 2026

One organiser told me the turnout was about trust breaking down across the board. “We are sick of the anti-Semitism, we are sick of the facts getting in the way of their narratives, and we want the ABC to tell the truth,” he said.

Another attendee said he does a simple check on ABC coverage every now and then and keeps seeing the same narrow pattern. “It is nearly always one of three or four pet topics,” he said, adding that it gives a distorted view of Australian society and reflects hostility towards Israel alongside sympathy towards the Iranian regime.

One protester told me he called private broadcaster 3AW after arriving and was immediately put on air to announce the rally outside the ABC’s own doors. He then called the ABC to ask whether the public national broadcaster would cover a protest happening directly outside its headquarters.

According to him, the response was blunt. “We are not discussing that here now,” he was told. He pointed out that it was happening outside their building. “No, we are not broaching that.” The call ended shortly after.

An all too predictable response: the ABC couldn’t even be bothered covering a story right in front of its own doors.

A key focus for the protesters was the skewed and obsessive coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with clear indications that much of the reporting and many staff at the ABC are suffering from Israel Derangement Syndrome.

🚨 The ABC LOST IT after I exposed them

My latest FOI request reveals ABC execs colluding with The Guardian, bullying critics, and then trying to hide the evidence from the public.

If you’re sick of funding propaganda disguised as journalism, sign https://t.co/LMIUIF4xwZ. pic.twitter.com/ygxTxV9fbD

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) May 21, 2026

One attendee told me, “I am not Jewish. I am not Iranian. I am here because this bias has got to stop.”

A pastor’s wife who travelled down from Queensland said she came because she supports Israel’s right to exist, but also because she believes Australians are not getting the full picture. “The ABC is completely biased and nobody hears the truth,” she said.

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Others argued the problem goes beyond foreign reporting and reflects a broader ideological lens shaping coverage across the board.

A member of Melbourne’s Jewish community told me he spends his time trying to build social cohesion, but believes the ABC is actively undermining it. “When your own national broadcaster constantly puts out headlines and stories that sell a narrative that Israel is a demon state that can do no good, that is when I stand up and say no more,” he said. He added that the impact goes beyond media. “What you are causing is young minds walking around thinking I am a bad person.”

The ABC’s decision to hire Grace Tame was another flashpoint.

Protesters pointed to her past comments in an ABC interview where allegations of rape and sexual violence against Israeli women during the October 7 attacks were dismissed as propaganda that had been debunked.

For many, it was not just controversial but symbolic.

One attendee called it “another knife in Australia’s back”. Another said it showed the ABC’s editorial culture is out of touch.

Even ABC presenter Charlie Pickering was drawn into the fallout, describing the appointment as “problematic” in comments that quickly went viral after he was confronted by me. Those remarks spread rapidly online and triggered a wave of backlash, including calls for Pickering to be cancelled over his criticism of the broadcaster’s decision. I covered that reaction in an earlier video, where the fallout intensified the broader debate about the ABC’s internal culture and political direction.

🚨 Charlie Pickering is getting CANCELLED in real time

The ABC star just discovered what happens when you slightly disagree with the activist class he's spent years defending.

The funniest part is that his new critics clearly haven't watched the full exchange. pic.twitter.com/HcJkrIbcPG

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) June 3, 2026

My debate with Pickering also touched on ideological representation inside the ABC itself. My uncle and ABC Chair Kim Williams has argued you could walk through the organisation and not easily guess how staff vote, but I pointed to polling suggesting around 43 per cent of ABC employees vote Greens, well outside the broader Australian mainstream. To critics, that gap explains a lot. “The ABC is far too left,” one attendee said.

Most people I spoke to were not calling for the ABC to be shut down. They were calling for it to do its job, fair reporting, balance, and basic accountability.

But they also made one thing clear. If that does not change, the pressure to defund it will only grow.

And judging by the turnout in Melbourne, that pressure is only growing.

If you believe the ABC should either reform or lose taxpayer funding, visit DefundABC.com and add your name.

Because one thing is certain. You will not be seeing this protest lead the ABC News tonight.