Latest news with #JewishCouncilofAustralia
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Government Told NZ Should Not Follow Australia's Lead To Criminalise Support For Palestine
14 July 2025 Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is urging the New Zealand government NOT to follow Australia's example with measures which would effectively criminalise the Palestine solidarity movement. The Australian government has announced plans to implement recommendations from its anti-semitism envoy which PSNA says creates a 'hierarchy of racism' with anti-semitism at the top, while Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism hardly feature. However we know at least some of the appalling anti-semitic attacks in Sydney have been bogus. PSNA Co-chair John Minto says PSNA has no tolerance for anti-semitism in Aotearoa New Zealand, or anywhere else. 'But equally there should be no place for any other kind of racism, such as Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. Our government must speak out against all forms of discrimination and support all communities when racism rears its ugly head. Let's not forget the murderous attacks on the Christchurch mosques.' Minto says the Australian measures will inevitably be used to criminalise the Palestinian solidarity movement across Australia. 'We see it happening in the US, to attack and demonise support for Palestinian human rights by the Trump administration. We see it orchestrated in the UK to shut down any speech which Prime Minister Starmer and the Israeli government don't like.' PSNA agrees with the Jewish Council of Australia who have warned the Australian government adopting these measures could result in 'undermining Australia's democratic freedoms, inflaming community divisions, and entrenching selective approaches to racism that serve political agendas' Minto says the free speech restrictions in the US, UK and Australia have nothing to do with what people usually understand as anti-semitism. 'The drive comes from the Israeli government. They see making anti-semitism charges as the most effective means of preventing anyone publicly pointing to the genocide its armed forces are perpetrating in Gaza.' 'The definition of anti-semitism, usually inserted into codes of ethics or legislation, is from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The IHRA definition includes eleven examples. Seven of the examples are about criticising Israel.' 'It's quite clear the Israeli campaign is to distract the community from Israel's horrendous war crimes, such as the round-the-clock mass killing and mass starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, and deflect calls for sanctions against Israel.' 'Already we can see in both the UK and US, that people have been arrested for saying things about Israel which would not have been declared illegal if they'd said it about other countries, including their own.' Minto says there are already worrying signs that the New Zealand government and New Zealand media and police are falling into the trap. 'Just over the past few weeks, there has been an unusually wide-ranging mainstream media focus on anti-semitism; At least one opinion piece in the Stuff newspapers from NZ Jewish Council spokesperson Ben Kepes on anti-semitism here A major interview in Stuff on anti-semitism with NZJC spokesperson Ben Kepes A New Zealand Herald opinion piece from NZJC spokesperson Juliet Moses A New Zealand Herald podcast featuring Holocaust Foundation spokesperson Deborah Hart. The Holocaust Foundation is partly funded by the Israeli Embassy. An enthusiastic 1News item on the latest appeal to the government to adopt similar measures here to those taken in Australia (TVNZ One News 13 July 2025) Stories highlighting anti-semitic graffiti in Wellington – numerous reports along these lines Stuff newspapers highlighting the case of an assault on a visiting Israeli after an altercation in Christchurch with the accused held overnight, denied bail and the police claiming it was a 'hate crime' However, our politicians and media have been silent about; An attack which knocked a young Palestinian woman to the ground when she was using a microphone to speak during an Auckland march An attack where a Palestine supporter was kicked and knocked to the pavement outside the Israeli embassy in Wellington. The accused was wearing an Israeli flag. He was not held in custody and the Post newspaper has reported neither the arrest nor the resulting charge (this case is due in court 15 July) An attack on a Palestine solidarity marshal in Christchurch who was punched in the face, in front of police, but no action taken. An attack in Christchurch when a Destiny Church member kicked a solidarity marshal in the chest (no action taken by police) Anti-Palestinian racist attacks on the home of a Palestine solidarity activist in New Plymouth. One of our supporters has had their front fence spraypainted twice with pro-Israel graffiti and their car tyres slashed twice (4 tyres in total) and had vile defamatory material circulated in their neighbourhood. (The police say they cannot help) The frequent condemnation of anti-semitism by the previous Chief Human Rights Commissioner, but his refusal to condemn the deep-seated anti-Palestinian racism of the New Zealand Jewish Council and Israel Institute of New Zealand. The refusal of the Human Rights Commission to publicly correct false statements it published in the Post newspaper which claimed anti-semitism was increasing, when in fact the evidence it was using was that the rate of incidents had declined. Minto says in each of the cases above there would have been far more attention from politicians, the police and the media had the victims been Israeli supporters. 'Meanwhile, both our government and the New Zealand Jewish Council have refused to condemn Israel's blatant war crimes. There is silence on the mass killing, mass starvation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. The Jewish Council and our government stand together and refuse to hold Israel's racist apartheid regime to account in just about any way.' 'This refusal to condemn what genocide scholars, including several Israeli genocide academics, have labelled as a 'text-book case of genocide', brings shame on both the New Zealand Jewish Council and the New Zealand government.' 'Adding to the clear perception of appalling bias on the part of our government, both the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, have met with New Zealand Jewish Council spokespeople over the war in Gaza.' 'But both have refused to meet with representatives of Palestinian New Zealanders, or the huge number of Jewish supporters of the Palestine solidarity movement.' 'New Zealand must stand up and be counted against genocide wherever it appears and no matter who the victims are.'
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'Extraordinary overreach': anti-Semitism report blasted
A plan to combat anti-Semitism including suggestions funding may be stripped from arts bodies and events amounts to overreach, a pro-Palestinian writer says. The recommendation to axe support for publicly funded institutions and festivals that promote or fail to effectively deal with hate speech is part of Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal's report. The federal government is considering the advice as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. Writer and activist Omar Sakr said adopting the recommendations would lead to further silencing people who supported the Palestinian cause. The report's suggested measures were so wide-ranging they amounted to "extraordinary overreach", he said, arguing pro-Palestinian artists were already treated unfavourably by the sector. "It's beyond clear that the end goal of this strategy is a kind of cultural apartheid and it aims for a total stigmatisation and erasure of Palestinian culture," Sakr said. He was one of a group of writers contracted to provide teen workshops at the State Library of Victoria in 2024 before their agreements were cancelled following an examination of their political views, including his criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Ms Segal's report, released on Thursday, also suggested deporting and cancelling the visas of people involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was already taking those steps, pointing to the decision to block controversial US rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he released a song titled Heil Hitler. "We screen people ... when they apply for visas it's something that we make sure that we represent Australia's national interests," he told reporters on Friday. Criticism of the report has also focused on Ms Segal's recommendation Australia adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition, Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", saying the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding was "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "(It) clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine - and indeed, so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government," she told ABC Radio. She said the Jewish Council of Australia, a progressive organisation, was a small group that did not represent the nation's broader Jewish community. Several other Jewish groups called for her recommendations to be adopted in full. They include embedding Holocaust education into school curriculums and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, in addition to terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread pro-Palestinian student encampment protests were portrayed as targeting Jewish people. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she said. Universities Australia has committed to considering the report's recommendations. Walkley Award-winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, while it was also ordering Palestinians into what critics have labelled an internment camp. "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she said. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Australia's government-appointed envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, said he would soon provide "comprehensive" recommendations to the prime minister. A plan to combat anti-Semitism including suggestions funding may be stripped from arts bodies and events amounts to overreach, a pro-Palestinian writer says. The recommendation to axe support for publicly funded institutions and festivals that promote or fail to effectively deal with hate speech is part of Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal's report. The federal government is considering the advice as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. Writer and activist Omar Sakr said adopting the recommendations would lead to further silencing people who supported the Palestinian cause. The report's suggested measures were so wide-ranging they amounted to "extraordinary overreach", he said, arguing pro-Palestinian artists were already treated unfavourably by the sector. "It's beyond clear that the end goal of this strategy is a kind of cultural apartheid and it aims for a total stigmatisation and erasure of Palestinian culture," Sakr said. He was one of a group of writers contracted to provide teen workshops at the State Library of Victoria in 2024 before their agreements were cancelled following an examination of their political views, including his criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Ms Segal's report, released on Thursday, also suggested deporting and cancelling the visas of people involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was already taking those steps, pointing to the decision to block controversial US rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he released a song titled Heil Hitler. "We screen people ... when they apply for visas it's something that we make sure that we represent Australia's national interests," he told reporters on Friday. Criticism of the report has also focused on Ms Segal's recommendation Australia adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition, Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", saying the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding was "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "(It) clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine - and indeed, so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government," she told ABC Radio. She said the Jewish Council of Australia, a progressive organisation, was a small group that did not represent the nation's broader Jewish community. Several other Jewish groups called for her recommendations to be adopted in full. They include embedding Holocaust education into school curriculums and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, in addition to terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread pro-Palestinian student encampment protests were portrayed as targeting Jewish people. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she said. Universities Australia has committed to considering the report's recommendations. Walkley Award-winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, while it was also ordering Palestinians into what critics have labelled an internment camp. "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she said. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Australia's government-appointed envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, said he would soon provide "comprehensive" recommendations to the prime minister. A plan to combat anti-Semitism including suggestions funding may be stripped from arts bodies and events amounts to overreach, a pro-Palestinian writer says. The recommendation to axe support for publicly funded institutions and festivals that promote or fail to effectively deal with hate speech is part of Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal's report. The federal government is considering the advice as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. Writer and activist Omar Sakr said adopting the recommendations would lead to further silencing people who supported the Palestinian cause. The report's suggested measures were so wide-ranging they amounted to "extraordinary overreach", he said, arguing pro-Palestinian artists were already treated unfavourably by the sector. "It's beyond clear that the end goal of this strategy is a kind of cultural apartheid and it aims for a total stigmatisation and erasure of Palestinian culture," Sakr said. He was one of a group of writers contracted to provide teen workshops at the State Library of Victoria in 2024 before their agreements were cancelled following an examination of their political views, including his criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Ms Segal's report, released on Thursday, also suggested deporting and cancelling the visas of people involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was already taking those steps, pointing to the decision to block controversial US rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he released a song titled Heil Hitler. "We screen people ... when they apply for visas it's something that we make sure that we represent Australia's national interests," he told reporters on Friday. Criticism of the report has also focused on Ms Segal's recommendation Australia adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition, Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", saying the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding was "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "(It) clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine - and indeed, so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government," she told ABC Radio. She said the Jewish Council of Australia, a progressive organisation, was a small group that did not represent the nation's broader Jewish community. Several other Jewish groups called for her recommendations to be adopted in full. They include embedding Holocaust education into school curriculums and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, in addition to terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread pro-Palestinian student encampment protests were portrayed as targeting Jewish people. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she said. Universities Australia has committed to considering the report's recommendations. Walkley Award-winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, while it was also ordering Palestinians into what critics have labelled an internment camp. "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she said. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Australia's government-appointed envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, said he would soon provide "comprehensive" recommendations to the prime minister. A plan to combat anti-Semitism including suggestions funding may be stripped from arts bodies and events amounts to overreach, a pro-Palestinian writer says. The recommendation to axe support for publicly funded institutions and festivals that promote or fail to effectively deal with hate speech is part of Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal's report. The federal government is considering the advice as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. Writer and activist Omar Sakr said adopting the recommendations would lead to further silencing people who supported the Palestinian cause. The report's suggested measures were so wide-ranging they amounted to "extraordinary overreach", he said, arguing pro-Palestinian artists were already treated unfavourably by the sector. "It's beyond clear that the end goal of this strategy is a kind of cultural apartheid and it aims for a total stigmatisation and erasure of Palestinian culture," Sakr said. He was one of a group of writers contracted to provide teen workshops at the State Library of Victoria in 2024 before their agreements were cancelled following an examination of their political views, including his criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Ms Segal's report, released on Thursday, also suggested deporting and cancelling the visas of people involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was already taking those steps, pointing to the decision to block controversial US rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he released a song titled Heil Hitler. "We screen people ... when they apply for visas it's something that we make sure that we represent Australia's national interests," he told reporters on Friday. Criticism of the report has also focused on Ms Segal's recommendation Australia adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition, Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", saying the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding was "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "(It) clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine - and indeed, so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government," she told ABC Radio. She said the Jewish Council of Australia, a progressive organisation, was a small group that did not represent the nation's broader Jewish community. Several other Jewish groups called for her recommendations to be adopted in full. They include embedding Holocaust education into school curriculums and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, in addition to terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread pro-Palestinian student encampment protests were portrayed as targeting Jewish people. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she said. Universities Australia has committed to considering the report's recommendations. Walkley Award-winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, while it was also ordering Palestinians into what critics have labelled an internment camp. "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she said. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Australia's government-appointed envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, said he would soon provide "comprehensive" recommendations to the prime minister.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Envoy rejects anti-Semitism plan's free speech concerns
Concerns that a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel have been dismissed by the government-appointed envoy who authored the report. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. But contention has emerged over the report's recommendation to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "The train has moved on, if I might put it that way, and Kenneth Stern has been left behind," she told ABC Radio National on Friday. "The definition in its own terms clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine, and indeed so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government. But if you are calling for the elimination of the state of Israel, then that is anti-Semitic." Ms Segal said the Jewish Council of Australia was a very small group that did not represent Jewish Australians. Other Jewish groups, including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, called for the plan to be adopted in full. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and cancelling the visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Ms Segal said universities needed to ensure campuses were safe spaces for all people, including Jews. "There are hotspots where we have some entrenched, I would say anti-Semitism, but I would say hatred, and we need to tackle those areas specifically, like universities," she said. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. She and other envoys around the world had been working with social media platforms to stamp out hate, she said, adding that artificial intelligence was a potential answer to eliminate hate from the platforms without impinging on free speech. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations. Concerns that a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel have been dismissed by the government-appointed envoy who authored the report. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. But contention has emerged over the report's recommendation to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "The train has moved on, if I might put it that way, and Kenneth Stern has been left behind," she told ABC Radio National on Friday. "The definition in its own terms clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine, and indeed so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government. But if you are calling for the elimination of the state of Israel, then that is anti-Semitic." Ms Segal said the Jewish Council of Australia was a very small group that did not represent Jewish Australians. Other Jewish groups, including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, called for the plan to be adopted in full. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and cancelling the visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Ms Segal said universities needed to ensure campuses were safe spaces for all people, including Jews. "There are hotspots where we have some entrenched, I would say anti-Semitism, but I would say hatred, and we need to tackle those areas specifically, like universities," she said. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. She and other envoys around the world had been working with social media platforms to stamp out hate, she said, adding that artificial intelligence was a potential answer to eliminate hate from the platforms without impinging on free speech. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations. Concerns that a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel have been dismissed by the government-appointed envoy who authored the report. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. But contention has emerged over the report's recommendation to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "The train has moved on, if I might put it that way, and Kenneth Stern has been left behind," she told ABC Radio National on Friday. "The definition in its own terms clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine, and indeed so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government. But if you are calling for the elimination of the state of Israel, then that is anti-Semitic." Ms Segal said the Jewish Council of Australia was a very small group that did not represent Jewish Australians. Other Jewish groups, including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, called for the plan to be adopted in full. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and cancelling the visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Ms Segal said universities needed to ensure campuses were safe spaces for all people, including Jews. "There are hotspots where we have some entrenched, I would say anti-Semitism, but I would say hatred, and we need to tackle those areas specifically, like universities," she said. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. She and other envoys around the world had been working with social media platforms to stamp out hate, she said, adding that artificial intelligence was a potential answer to eliminate hate from the platforms without impinging on free speech. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations. Concerns that a sweeping plan to tackle anti-Semitism will stifle legitimate criticisms about Israel have been dismissed by the government-appointed envoy who authored the report. Recommendations in a report from Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal are being considered by the federal government as it examines ways to combat a surge in discrimination against Jewish Australians. But contention has emerged over the report's recommendation to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Some detractors - including the original author of the definition Kenneth Stern - argue it conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and Zionism. Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser labelled the report a "blueprint for silencing dissent", and his organisation said the emphasis on surveillance, censorship and punitive control over funding were "straight out of Trump's authoritarian playbook". Ms Segal said those criticisms misunderstood the definition. "The train has moved on, if I might put it that way, and Kenneth Stern has been left behind," she told ABC Radio National on Friday. "The definition in its own terms clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine, and indeed so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government. But if you are calling for the elimination of the state of Israel, then that is anti-Semitic." Ms Segal said the Jewish Council of Australia was a very small group that did not represent Jewish Australians. Other Jewish groups, including the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, called for the plan to be adopted in full. While it suggests embedding Holocaust education into school curricula and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, the report also recommends terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. It also suggests deporting and cancelling the visas of immigrants who have been involved in discrimination against Jewish people. Ms Segal said universities needed to ensure campuses were safe spaces for all people, including Jews. "There are hotspots where we have some entrenched, I would say anti-Semitism, but I would say hatred, and we need to tackle those areas specifically, like universities," she said. National Union of Students president Ashlyn Horton questioned the way widespread student encampment protests were portrayed. "Conflating actual anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel is a massive, massive concern," she told AAP. "Most student activists who have been part of the Palestine movement have never actually been anti-Semitic ... it is just students who are concerned about the genocide in Gaza and their universities' involvement in weapons manufacturing. "Spinning it in this way of 'the encampments were anti-Semitic, we need to crack down on all freedom of speech now' is absolutely the wrong approach." While there were some cases of anti-Semitic individuals, Ms Horton said student unions were often the first to crack down. First Nations, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities would be disproportionately harmed by the plan, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network warned. Walkley-award winning journalist Jan Fran said Israel had killed nearly 200 people in Gaza since Tuesday, along with ordering Palestinians into what experts labelled an "internment camp". "If the anti-Semitism envoy's plan stifles criticism of Israel for these actions, particularly at public broadcasters and in media organisations broadly, then we are headed down a very dark path," she told AAP. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. She and other envoys around the world had been working with social media platforms to stamp out hate, she said, adding that artificial intelligence was a potential answer to eliminate hate from the platforms without impinging on free speech. Universities Australia committed to considering the report's recommendations.
The Age
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Antisemitism: Jewish groups back Jillian Segal report, while critics warn of curbs on free speech
'Jillian Segal's office does some really good work for the community on the whole,' he said. Barrister Greg Barns, SC, spokesman for the Australian Lawyers Alliance, said the recommendations represented a threat to freedom of speech and the right to protest and could result in draconian penalties. He pointed out Australia has international human rights obligations to free speech and freedom of expression. 'The temptation will be for universities, cultural institutions and others, including NGOs, to suppress alternative views in relation to Israel,' Barns said. He said one call for new laws around hate speech was 'bizarre and dangerous' given substantial reforms earlier this year. 'To be calling for further laws only six months after major legislative change is just bizarre.' Loading Barns also said it could set precedents for future governments to impose the same rules on other groups, such as environmentalists, to suppress opposition. 'Overall there's a chilling aspect to the envoy's recommendations and that is to essentially adopt a Trumpian tool of cajoling and threatening in order to curtail fundamental human rights.' Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion, KC, said the plan fully aligned with his organisation's thoughts. 'Its release could not be more timely given the recent appalling events in Melbourne. The actions which the plan calls for are now urgently needed,' Aghion said. 'We call upon all sectors of society, including government, law enforcement, the media, the university sector, education authorities and online platform providers, to co-operate with the Special Envoy and the Jewish community to give this action plan full force and effect.' Dr Max Kaiser, executive officer of the pro-Palestinian Jewish Council of Australia, said antisemitism was real and must be taken seriously, but Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, and other forms of hate, could not be ignored. 'This document reads more like a blueprint for silencing dissent rather than a strategy to build inclusion.' The report also calls on institutions to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. The definition has been embraced by many Jewish groups and was adopted by Australia under then prime minister Scott Morrison, but critics argue it stifles free speech and conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. It reads: 'Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.' Loading Kaiser said the report's language, coupled with this definition, made the recommendations 'dangerously unclear'. A spokesperson for Free Palestine Melbourne, one of the groups behind the regular Sunday rallies in Melbourne's CBD, said this definition of antisemitism had been criticised by 'legal scholars, human rights organisations, and even its original drafters for being vague and politically loaded'. 'We find it incredible that Jillian Segal should be demanding that all public institutions be forced to adopt a definition of antisemitism that mendaciously defines criticism of Israel as a form of antisemitism,' the spokesperson said. 'Enshrining this definition in policy would not protect Jewish Australians – it would shield a foreign government from legitimate scrutiny, and punish those who challenge it. 'We call upon the Albanese government to reflect upon its duty towards the Australian people and uphold the independence and integrity of their educational, journalistic and cultural institutions.' Loading University of NSW honorary associate professor Peter Slezak, who is Jewish and regularly speaks at pro-Palestine protests, said the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's proposed definition should be rejected for conflating what he said was justified criticism of Israel with antisemitism. 'The envoy doesn't even mention any of the reasons you might be angry about Israel. To be angry at [Israel] is not antisemitic.'
West Australian
10-07-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Warnings over push to curb some protests after attacks
Curbing protests following a spate of attacks on Jewish institutions will have a "chilling" impact on free expression, human rights' lawyers say, as a landmark plan to address anti-Semitism is revealed. The Victorian government is drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings following high-profile incidents involving masked neo-Nazis and the firebombing of a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four anti-Semitic incidents over the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz accused Premier Jacinta Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest, noting the laws would have prevented the synagogue attacks because they were not protests. A 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the East Melbourne synagogue arson, while counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan, and mask-ban exemptions for health, disability, and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she told AAP. Victoria's "knee-jerk measures" risked taking the state down the same path as the NSW government, which rushed "regressive" protest and speech laws through parliament after an explosives-laden caravan was found with anti-Semitic messaging in Sydney in February, Ms Schwartz said. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". More than 900 people have signed a Jewish Council of Australia petition calling on Ms Allan to drop the anti-protest laws. "These laws are not about our safety - they are about stopping dissent," it said. "Doing this in our names fuels the flames of anti-Semitism against us." Other Jewish groups suggest Victoria adopt a NSW-style protest permit system, following a pro-Palestine protest outside Israeli restaurant Miznon in the CBD on Friday, which left a glass door smashed and tables and chairs up-ended. Ms Allan has dismissed the measure. The Victorian opposition announced on Thursday it would introduce a protest registration system if elected at the November 2026 election. Police would be given stronger powers to crackdown on unregistered and disruptive protests with on-the-spot move-on orders, and repeat offenders who defied court-issued exclusion orders would face up to two years in jail as well as significant fines. It comes as Australia's special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal, delivered her action plan, which recommended a review of laws around anti-Semitic and hateful conduct, including violent or intimidating protests. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese maintained people had a right to express their views but called for protests to be done "respectfully, peacefully, orderly". Ms Segal said the anti-Semitic events in Melbourne were not isolated and formed part of a broader pattern of intimidation and violence against Jewish Australians. Victoria beefed up its anti-vilification laws in March, and the criminal reforms will take effect on September 20.
