I was back on the streets of Melbourne, this time outside the Forum, where Israeli electronic duo Infected Mushroom dared to perform ... and, predictably, the mere act of two guys playing music and making people happy was enough to send the usual far-left, anti-Israel crowd into a frenzy.

From the moment I arrived, it was clear what this protest was really about. One activist told me bluntly, “We shouldn’t normalise anything to do with Israel … including the people.” At least he was honest about the bigotry driving so much of this movement.

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When I pressed another protester on why Infected Mushroom should be boycotted, they insisted it was “for the genocides going on in the Middle East.” But when I challenged them about atrocities in Nigeria or Sudan, he admitted, “No,” they don’t protest those. That double standard says everything.

Meanwhile, a small group of pro-Israel supporters had shown up to make sure the mob didn’t shut the show down. One told me they were there “to make sure that the attendees are safe” and to ensure the performers wouldn’t be bullied into silence.

As the back-and-forth heated up, the contradictions from the anti-Israel side became impossible to ignore.

One man leapt immediately to defensiveness when I asked why he wasn’t protesting Hamas’ public executions in Gaza. “We’re not here for that,” he said — exactly the problem. The outrage always magically disappears when the perpetrators aren’t Jewish.

But the atmosphere shifted completely when I crossed the street to speak with concert-goers. Most weren’t interested in the politics at all. One laughed when I told him about the protest: “Oh, that’s good ... I didn’t even realise.” Another shrugged off the attempt to cancel the artists: “Who gives a fuck honestly.”

For many, it was simply about the music. “There’s no need to hate on this music at all,” one fan told me. “It’s just music.”

And despite the mob’s attempts, the pressure on organisers, the intimidation and even storming offices ... none of it worked. The show went ahead. Melbourne needs more of that: people willing to stand up, push back and refuse to let the loudest bullies dictate what the rest of us are allowed to enjoy.