I’ve been warning for years that political appeasement doesn’t buy you peace and what we saw at Lakemba Mosque today is exactly where that road leads.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, alongside Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, was forced to make a rushed exit from Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s southwest after a heated protest erupted during Eid prayers. Chants of “shame”, “genocide supporters” and even “Allahu Akbar” rang out as angry attendees confronted the Prime Minister mid-visit.

Albanese had gone there in what was meant to be a symbolic gesture of unity at the end of Ramadan. Instead, he was met with hostility so intense he eventually had to be escorted out and, according to reports, slipped away via a back exit as the situation escalated outside.

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Let’s be clear about what’s happening here. This is not an isolated incident. It’s the predictable outcome of a government that has spent more than two years bending over backwards to appease sections of the Islamic community, from recognising Palestine to taking unprecedented diplomatic positions that were sold as “peace-building” but read more like political surrender.

And still, it wasn’t enough.

Albanese/Burke are lucky they got out, the jihadi mob were heard on camera complaining about the PM being protected. Also they don't want politicians at the mosque, despite taking millions in tax payer grants.pic.twitter.com/XXOP76qP9l

— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) March 20, 2026

The moment political leaders start believing appeasement equals stability, they make themselves weaker, not safer. Europe has already shown us where that trajectory leads when governments prioritise appeasement over accountability and integration.

Even after the chaos, the Prime Minister jumped on social media posting smiling photos of handshakes and “Eid Mubarak” messages, as if none of it happened.

But Australians can see what happened. And more importantly, they can see what it means.

Because once leaders start being chased out of places of worship in their own capital city, the question isn’t whether appeasement works.

It’s how much worse it gets from here.