Envoy wants education programs to counter antisemitism ignorance
Jillian Segal, a businesswoman appointed by Labor to tackle bigotry towards Jewish Australians, revealed in an interview with this masthead that her next major recommendation for antisemitism training was aimed at reducing societal ignorance about the problem.
'It all starts with words, but it doesn't end in words,' she said, while commending Labor's moves earlier this year to criminalise hate speech.
Her recommendation follows a series of antisemitic attacks in Melbourne on Friday that rattled Australia's Jewish community. They came after a spate of similar occurrences over the summer, against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the events, representing the controversial leader's second recent thrust into Australian issues as the federal government hardens its stance against his war effort in Gaza.
A 34-year-old man from the western Sydney suburb of Toongabbie, Angelo Loras, fronted court in Melbourne on Sunday, charged with endangering life after he allegedly lit on fire the front door of a historic inner Melbourne synagogue while families with small children shared Shabbat dinner inside. He had never previously been in custody, the court heard. Nobody was physically injured.
Netanyahu said in a statement in the early hours of Sunday morning: 'I view with utmost gravity the antisemitic attacks that occurred last night in Melbourne, which included attempted arson of a synagogue in the city and a violent assault against an Israeli restaurant by pro-Palestinian rioters.'
'The reprehensible antisemitic attacks, with calls of 'death to the IDF' and an attempt to attack a place of worship, are severe hate crimes that must be uprooted,' he said.
'We demand that the Australian government take all action to deal with the rioters.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
13 minutes ago
- Herald Sun
Trump tariff threat clouds final day of BRICS summit
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. US President Donald Trump's decision to hit "anti-American" BRICS nations -- including China and India -- with an extra 10 percent trade tariff roiled the final day of the bloc's summit in Rio de Janeiro Monday. Trump threatened the 11-nation grouping -- which includes some of the world's fastest-emerging economies -- late on Sunday, after they warned against his "indiscriminate," damaging and illegal tariff hikes. "Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff," Trump wrote on social media. BRICS members account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output. Members China, Russia and South Africa responded coolly to Trump's latest verbal barrage, insisting the bloc was not seeking confrontation with Washington. But host Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was less diplomatic. "We are sovereign nations," Lula said. "We don't want an emperor." Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, BRICS has come to be seen as a Chinese-driven effort to curb US global influence. But it is a quickly expanding and often divergent grouping -- bringing together arch US foes like Iran and Russia, with some of Washington's closest allies in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Some US allies inside the bloc had tried to blunt criticism of Trump by not mentioning him or the United States by name in the summit statement. Saudi Arabia -- one of the biggest purchasers of US high-tech weapons -- even kept its foreign minister away from Sunday's talks and a BRICS group photo, seemingly to avoid Washington's ire. But such diplomatic gestures were lost on the US president who said "there will be no exceptions to this policy." - No shows - In April, Trump threatened a slew of punitive duties on dozens of economies, before backing off in the face of a fierce market sell-off. Now he is threatening to impose unilateral levies on trading partners unless they reach "deals" by August 1, with BRICS nations seemingly faced with higher tariffs than planned. It cannot have helped that BRICS leaders also condemned the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities -- a show of solidarity with fellow member Iran. Beijing on Monday insisted BRICS was not seeking confrontation with the United States. "China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. Beijing also defended the bloc as "an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries." "It advocates openness, inclusivity, and win-win cooperation," Mao said. "It does not engage in camp confrontation and is not targeted at any country," she added. The Kremlin echoed that message with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Russian media that BRICS cooperation "has never been and will never be directed against third countries." The political punch of this year's summit has been depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who skipped the meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president. The Chinese leader is not the only notable absentee. Russian President Vladimir Putin, charged with war crimes in Ukraine, also opted to stay away, participating via video link. He told counterparts that BRICS had become a key player in global governance. arb/aks Originally published as Trump tariff threat clouds final day of BRICS summit
Sky News AU
20 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese dismisses two requests from China ahead of visit
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to engage with two of China's requests ahead of his visit to Beijing on Saturday. Mr Albanese has rejected a call to incorporate AI into an updated free trade deal. The Prime Minister is focused on business, trade, and tourism, citing jobs as his main priority for talks with key officials. A demand to loosen foreign investment rules is also being ignored despite China lifting trade sanctions on $20 billion of Australian exports.
Sky News AU
24 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Labor to devise a strategy to tackle antisemitism
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is preparing to announce a plan to tackle antisemitism in the coming days. The strategy was devised in the wake of several attacks on the Jewish community over the weekend. It will target bigotry in classrooms and a tightening of visa rules to keep anti-Israel sentiments out of Australia.
