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ABC News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
The Special Envoy's plan to stem the antisemitic tide is a critical development at a pivotal moment - ABC Religion & Ethics
In the aftermath of a series of serious antisemitic incidents in Melbourne, Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, has released her plan to combat antisemitism. Despite evidence of a crisis, Australia has been lagging behind other democracies in the fight against antisemitism. The EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life was released back in 2021. It notes how 'Member States have already committed to prevent and fight all forms of antisemitism through new national strategies, or measures under existing national strategies and/or action plans on preventing racism, xenophobia, radicalisation and violent extremism', and that the 'adoption of the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)] definition and the appointment of special envoys or coordinators by all Member States are also necessary steps for effective action at national level.' Australia is finally catching up to what has been the norm in Europe for some time now. In her foreword to the plan, Australia's Special Envoy warns: 'Ancient myths and misinformation have re-emerged in new forms to justify violence and threats against the Australian Jewish community.' She notes how antisemitism 'attacks the foundation of our nation; the fairness, equality and respect we have for one another'; and concludes: 'When hatred goes unchallenged our democracy is at risk.' These are not just words. The Online Hate Prevention Institute, in just a few hours, gathered over 100 examples of social media content dismissing Friday's antisemitic incidents and declaring the attempted torching of a synagogue with members of the community inside a 'false flag'. Many of these were public replies to posts by politicians and journalists. It may be coming from a minority, but it is a sickness with a visible festering wound that spreads through our public discourse. This is not who we are as Australians, and we need to reclaim our public spaces. The plan to combat antisemitism does this by highlighting thirteen focus areas and the actions that will be taken by the Special Envoy's office, as well as recommendations for action by others, in each area. Like the EU strategy, the Australian plan starts with the need for clarity and consistency in identifying antisemitism. It says, 'the Australian government should require consistent application and adoption of the IHRA definition across all levels of government, public institutions and regulatory bodies'. The Special Envoy commits to creating a guide to assist with its 'application in an Australian context'. The strong endorsement of the IHRA working definition is not only welcome but, as the EU noted in 2021, necessary. The experience of Universities Australia who bowed to the campaign of pressure against adoption of the IHRA working definition, only to have their own definition also opposed by those same voices, suggests that the issue was not really about the wording of the definition, but rather a campaign to create space in which expressions of antisemitism could go unchallenged. I recently discussed the disinformation campaign targeting the IHRA definition. I don't know why that disinformation campaign has had more traction in Australia than in other countries. Perhaps our isolation and being so far behind in our response to antisemitism played a role. I'm encouraged by the Special Envoy's proposed guide which will bring clarity and Australia context, helping people understand antisemitism and breaking the paralysis of confusion that has led to inaction on antisemitism. The responsibility of universities Jillian Segal's new plan calls for '[i]nstitutional accountability and university reform', saying that 'universities must embrace cultural change to end their tolerance for antisemitic conduct'. The Special Envoy will be launching a university report card to assess each university's efforts to combat antisemitism. Echoing the parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities, the plan calls for a judicial enquiry into campus antisemitism if the situation has not improved by the start of next year. The Envoy will also work with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) on systemic action to 'reverse a dangerous trajectory of normalised antisemitism in many university courses and campuses'. The strongest action, however, is the commitment to 'work with government to enable government funding to be withheld' from those who 'facilitate, enable or fail to act against antisemitism'. The call for conditions that will enable termination of government grants where 'the recipient engages in antisemitic or otherwise discriminatory or hateful speech or actions' reflects the response that has been taken by the federal government to tackle institutional child sexual abuse. It calls a halt to the dithering by university administrations who seem to be wringing their hands and considering just how bad the antisemitism must be before the protection of academic freedom can no longer shield it. I believe the debate around academic freedom with respect to antisemitism has become something of a farce. The Model Code on Academic Freedom, created by former High Court Chief Justice Robert French, is part of a report in which he explicitly analysed how other countries have balanced 'free speech' with protections from 'hate speech' and the 'duty of care of higher education providers and student unions … to take steps to ensure the safety of students, members, employees and visiting speakers'. From Justice French's report, it is clear that enhanced protections for academic freedom were never intended to become a shield to violations of those other basic obligations. How much antisemitism is permissible, then, would simply be the wrong question. The need for broader education on antisemitism The Special Envoy's plan calls for much better education on antisemitism across Australian society. One part focuses on specific measures to educate students, educators and public officials; another highlights the need for a 'a thorough understanding of antisemitism' by police, prosecutors, regulatory bodies and the judiciary; and a third calls for establishing a common understanding of antisemitism among 'business leaders, sporting leaders and public sector leaders, including in health and other public services'. Education in critical. A recent judgement that was overwhelmingly positive in recognising antisemitism, nevertheless fell short when it failed to recognise some forms of antisemitism that would have been obvious to anyone in the mainstream Jewish community. References to 'Zionist backed media agencies' and claims about politicians saying 'Israel holds their leash' are straight out of the antisemitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion . In the Special Envoy's report, there is a specific focus area on the online world with concerns expressed over anonymous accounts that spread hate, overseas run bots that aim to 'promote social discord in democratic societies', and algorithms that amplify hate. The report calls for more support for police so they can 'prioritise the identification and prosecution of those who commit offences online'. It also discusses law reform to close a gap where the law protects individuals from hate but offers no protection when entire communities are targeted online. The plan calls for greater international cooperation to address online antisemitism. Culture, arts and public broadcasting are another area of focus. While stressing the importance of freedom for artistic expression, the Special Envoy's plan calls for mechanisms to enable government funding to be 'terminated where organisations or individuals engage in or facilitate antisemitism'. Other measures to be considered There are a range of other mechanisms that Jillian Segal proposed in order the stem the tide of antisemitism in Australia, and push it back to the margins. These include: consideration to be given to visa denial or cancellations for those engage in antisemitism; consideration to be given to visa denial or cancellations for those engage in antisemitism; community consultation, monitoring, evaluation and data collection — including regular reporting on the state of antisemitism in Australia; community consultation, monitoring, evaluation and data collection — including regular reporting on the state of antisemitism in Australia; the need for interfaith and multicultural programs, which have been damaged in recent years, to be repaired; the need for interfaith and multicultural programs, which have been damaged in recent years, to be repaired; greater international cooperation with other special envoys; greater international cooperation with other special envoys; the need to foster Jewish life in Australia and enable a sense of safe participation in cultural, social and religious activities. Australia's Special Envoy should be commended for her bold and wholistic plan to tackle antisemitism. There are other measure I would personally recommend, including: making greater use of our membership in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and integrating it more with our domestic responses; making greater use of our membership in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and integrating it more with our domestic responses; providing funding to civil society efforts to address antisemitism — outside the security funding the government already provides. These are not things within the Special Envoy's control, but they are other response the government should consider, which mirror what other countries do. Australia is behind in the fight against antisemitism, but we are catching up and this plan is a key step forward. Andre Oboler is CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute, Adjunct Associate Professor at the La Trobe Law School, and an expert member of the Australian Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. He is a recognised international expert in antisemitism, online hate and extremism.
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Germany summons Iranian ambassador over alleged spying on Jews
Germany has summoned the Iranian ambassador after the arrest of a man suspected of spying on Jews in Berlin for Tehran, possibly as part of an attack plot. 'We will not tolerate any threats to Jewish life in Germany,' the foreign ministry posted on X on Tuesday announcing the summoning of the envoy, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi. It said the allegations against the suspect arrested in Denmark, a Danish national identified only as Ali S in line with German privacy rules, must be 'thoroughly investigated'. The man was arrested in the eastern Danish city of Aarhus last Thursday, German federal prosecutors said earlier, 'strongly suspected of having worked for an intelligence service of a foreign power'. 'In early 2025, Ali S received an order from an Iranian intelligence service to collect information on Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals in Berlin,' the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. He allegedly spied on three properties last month 'presumably in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets'. After his extradition from Denmark, the suspect will be brought before an investigating judge at Germany's federal court of justice, the prosecutor's office said, adding that the case against him was based on findings by the German domestic intelligence service. Foreign minister Johann Wadephul, speaking after visiting a synagogue on a trip to Odesa, was quoted by German media as saying that, if confirmed, the case 'would once again demonstrate that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world'. Justice minister Stefanie Hubig condemned what appeared to be an 'outrageous operation', adding in a statement that 'the protection of Jewish life has the highest priority for the German government'. German news outlet Der Spiegel said Ali S had photographed buildings including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society in Berlin, which fosters cultural and scientific cooperation between the two nations, and a site where the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, is said to occasionally stay. Ali S has Afghan roots and is believed to have been working for the Quds Force, an elite branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Der Spiegel said. Schuster described the arrest as a 'final signal to all those who still play down the hate and annihilation fantasies of the mullah regime against Israel and Jews around the world'. The Iranian embassy in Berlin rejected the allegations as 'unfounded and dangerous accusations' that it said appeared designed to distract from Israel's recent attacks on Iran. Germany has stepped up already tight security at Jewish sites across the country since the Hamas attacks on Israel of 7 October 2023. Last September, police in Munich shot dead a man armed with a rifle after an exchange of fire near the Israeli consulate. Investigators said they believed the suspect had been planning a terrorist attack against the site. During last month's 12-day war between Iran and Israel, Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz, a staunch supporter of Israel, said the country was prepared for possible Iranian attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets on German soil. Germany's relations with Iran have been historically tense although it is one of three European powers engaged in diplomacy with Tehran over its nuclear programme.
LBCI
01-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Berlin summons Iranian ambassador over arrest of alleged spy
The German foreign ministry said Tuesday it had summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin after a man was arrested in Denmark on suspicion of spying on Jews in Germany. "We will not tolerate any threat to Jewish life in Germany," the ministry said in a post on X, adding that the allegations needed to be "thoroughly investigated." AFP
News24
01-07-2025
- Politics
- News24
Berlin summons Iranian ambassador over arrest of alleged spy
Iran's ambassador to Germany was summoned after a suspected spy was arrested in Denmark. The man allegedly scouted Jewish sites in Berlin on orders from Iranian intelligence. Germany warned it won't tolerate threats to Jewish life and is investigating possible terror links. Iran's ambassador to Germany was summoned by the foreign ministry on Tuesday after the arrest in Denmark of a man suspected of spying on Jewish targets in Berlin for Tehran. 'We will not tolerate any threat to Jewish life in Germany,' the ministry said in a post on X announcing the summoning. It added that the allegations needed to be 'thoroughly investigated'. The Danish suspect, identified only as Ali S, was arrested in the city of Aarhus by local police on Thursday, the German federal prosecutor's office said in a statement earlier on Tuesday. The man was 'strongly suspected of having worked for an intelligence service', they said. READ | Iran unleashes 'wave of repression' after Israel war - activists Ali S had, in early 2025, 'received an order from an Iranian intelligence service to collect information on Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals in Berlin'. To this end, he allegedly scoped out three properties in June. The suspected reconnaissance work was 'presumably in preparation for further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets', the statement said. Speaking on a visit to Odesa in Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that, if confirmed, the incident 'would once again underline that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world'. According to German weekly Der Spiegel, the suspect had taken photos of buildings, including the seat of the German-Israeli Society in Berlin. Investigators believe Ali S was working on behalf of the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Der Spiegel reported. Germany has been on high alert for possible attacks against Jewish people since the Palestinian militant group Hamas's assault on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. In September, German police shot dead a young Austrian man known to have had ties to radical Islam as he was preparing to attack the Israeli consulate in Munich. German authorities have also been on alert for potential Iranian espionage activity on their soil. A German-Iranian national was jailed in late 2023 over a plot to attack a synagogue in the western German city of Bochum in 2022. Authorities said the plot was planned with the help of 'Iranian state agencies'.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- CBS News
Dallas rabbi arrested for alleged indecency with a child, officials say
A rabbi who served as the director of Jewish Life at a Dallas school has been charged with indecency with a child, officials said. Dallas police arrested 43-year-old Yizhak Meir Sabo and charged him with indecency with a child, sexual contact on Tuesday, April 1. Sabo was employed at the Akiba Yavneh Academy at the time of his arrest. Officials with Akiba Yavneh Academy, a modern Orthodox, co-ed, early childhood through 12th-grade college-preparatory school in Dallas, confirmed Sabo was arrested by Dallas police for indecency with a child. According to AYA, the school found out about the allegations on March 27 and alerted parents, staff and the community that day. AYA said Sabo was placed on administrative leave and law enforcement and Child Protective Services were notified as soon as the school became aware of the allegations. "The allegations were shocking and serious, and the conduct described antithetical to our school's culture and values," AYA said in a statement. The school also said the police "emphasized" that the allegations do not involve any students or staff within the early childhood program or lower school. The school said it is also conducting its own investigation into alleged misconduct. Sabo's bond is listed at $100,000.
