The groom made a joke to those gathered about the party being legal because it was a "group therapy session".
The groom made a joke to those gathered about the party being legal because it was a "group therapy session".
The young couple whose illegal lockdown engagement party enraged Melburnians and made international headlines last week are reportedly in hiding after being pummelled with anti-Semitic hate speech and death threats.
Footage of the 69-person gathering in St Kilda sparked an outpouring of vile rhetoric directed at the Jewish community as tougher restrictions were enforced hours after the damning video emerged.
Now, according to the Daily Mail, the newly-engaged couple have been forced into hiding, hiring private security for protection.
The number of Covid-19 cases now linked to their engagement party grew to at least 10 over the past few days, with the organisers fined A$5500 ($5740) each.
Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton said four people had already been fined.
"Two of those have been to the parents of the bride-to-be and two of those have been to the engaged couple as well," Patton said.
"The investigation is still ongoing, it's obviously been hampered to a degree by the fact that they're in isolation."
The Caulfield North event was leaked publicly after the video was shared within a WhatsApp group, Daily Mail reports, going viral within hours of it being shared.
The video shows guests laughing at a joke made by the fiance about the event being held during Melbourne's sixth lockdown where people aren't allowed to gather in private residences.
"Clearly this is legal, this is a group-therapy session, that's why my father is here," the groom-to-be, a part-time teacher and law student, told the room full of maskless attendees.
One guest quipped, "he's a mental health clinician", while another said "the doctor's here" as laughter erupted in the room.
Australia's top health regulator is now investigating two doctors allegedly in attendance.
The party had initially been condemned by St Kilda Rabbi Ronnie Figdor, who said the couple "should have known better", reflecting the community's disappointment in the family.
The groom made a joke to those gathered about the party being legal because it was a "group therapy session".
But local Jewish leaders have since gone to ground as angry Australians turned their hatred on the entire community.
The "selfish" event was also initially slammed by Premier Daniel Andrews, who was fuming that the burden was now on contact tracers to spend "literally thousands of hours" chasing up the attendees' movements.
"They are sh**ty choices and they keep us all locked down for longer than we should be," Andrews said.
"Every time even a small number of people make really bad choices, selfish choices, it take away from the hard work that so many millions more are doing, and it extends these lockdowns because it makes it more likely that we will have more cases."
As the anger morphed into ugly attacks on the Jewish community, he later condemned the "simply evil" reaction.
"The (engagement) was not a function of being Jewish," he said.
"It was a stupid function. Them breaking the rules was not a reflection on the Jewish community more broadly. It is unacceptable and evil for anyone to be trading in anti-Semitic comments."
Covid commander Jeroen Weimar, who had mentioned members of the Orthodox community were among those who tested positive during a coronavirus briefing, went on to apologise for inadvertently fanning the flames, saying it was a "poor choice of words".
"I am hugely disappointed that my words have been interpreted as a slight or criticism of the Orthodox Jewish community – this was absolutely not intended," he said on Thursday.
"I apologise to Melbourne's Jewish community for the hurt and harm that my words have done."
Jewish organisations have reported an increase in anti-Semitic messages and social media posts after news reports about the engagement party.
The clinical assistant said dozens of Jewish people who attended the party in breach of Melbourne lockdown laws should be "put in a gas chamber".
After copping flack on social media, the Royal Melbourne Hospital said the abhorrent statement did not reflect the organisation's values.
"We are aware of a hospital support staff member who made an abhorrent and disgraceful antisemitic comment on Facebook," it said in a statement on Monday.
"We do not tolerate racial or religious hatred, contempt or ridicule.
"The staff member is no longer an employee of the hospital and we apologise for the hurt and anger this has caused.
