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2012 Report on Antisemitism in Australia

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2012 Report on Antisemitism in Australia 2012 REPORT ON ANTISEMITISM IN AUSTRALIA THIS REPORT WAS WHOLLY RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY JEREMY JONES AM, TO ASSIST UNDERSTANDING OF ANTI-JEWISH VIOLENCE, VANDALISM, HARASSMENT AND PREJUDICE IN CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIA. IT COVERS THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1 2011 TO SEPTEMBER 30 2012. Jeremy Jones AM is Director of International and Community Affairs, Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and Honorary Life Member, Executive Council of Australian Jewry This document should not be reproduced or distributed, and the original work not quoted, without the express permission of the author. i With thanks to Louise de Mesquita, Julie Nathan and Anthony Orkin for invaluable input 140 William Street, East Sydney NSW 2011, AUSTRALIA Telephone: +61 2 9360 5415 Facsimile: +61 2 9360 5416 Email: [email protected] November 2012 ii CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 5 1.1 The Year in Review ............................................................................................ 5 1.2 Racism in Australia and Antisemitism ................................................................. 7 1.3 Forms of Antisemitism ........................................................................................ 9 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Reports for the Year 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012 .............................. 13 2.3 Serious/Violent Incidents .................................................................................. 14 2.4 Telephone Intimidation and Hate Mail .............................................................. 16 2.5 Graffiti .............................................................................................................. 17 2.6 Hate Email ........................................................................................................ 18 2.7 Leaflets, Posters and Other Miscellaneous Harassment ..................................... 21 3.0 ANTISEMITISM IN THE MEDIA AND THE COMMUNITY ........................... 23 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 23 3.2 Issues of Concern .............................................................................................. 24 3.3 Examples of Types of Antisemitism .................................................................. 25 3.3.1 "Jewish Power" claim ..................................................................................... 25 3.3.2 Claims of "International Jewish Conspiracy" .................................................. 26 3.3.3 Holocaust Denial ............................................................................................ 26 3.3.4 Jewish/Nazi Analogy ....................................................................................... 28 3.3.5 Holocaust Denigration .................................................................................... 28 3.3.6 Jews as "Un-Christian" and Judaism as "Anti-Christian" ............................... 29 3.3.7 Jewish Caricatures.......................................................................................... 30 3.3.8 "Street Antisemitism" ...................................................................................... 30 3.4 Manifestations in the Public Arena.................................................................. 31 3.5 Antisemitism, Israel and the BDS Movement .................................................... 32 3.6 Holocaust Analogies and Denigration ............................................................... 34 3.7 Anti-Jewish Commentary in the Mainstream Media .......................................... 36 3.8 Miscellaneous Matters ...................................................................................... 43 4 MUSLIM AND ARAB COMMUNITIES ............................................................... 44 5 ANTI-ISRAEL FRINGE GROUPS .......................................................................... 67 6.0 THE LEFT ........................................................................................................... 75 6.1 The Left, Israel and Antisemitism ..................................................................... 75 6.2 Far Left Media .................................................................................................. 78 7. CHURCHES .............................................................................................................. 81 8.0 ONLINE MEDIA ................................................................................................. 97 8.1 General Issues ................................................................................................... 97 8.2 Websites Based in Australia .............................................................................. 99 8.3 Antisemitism on Australian Newsgroups and Forums ..................................... 101 8.4 Facebook ........................................................................................................ 106 9.0 ANTISEMITIC ORGANISATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS ............................ 109 9.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 109 9.2 The Australian League of Rights ..................................................................... 112 9.3 Neo-Nazis and Far-right Wing Splinter Groups ............................................... 116 9.4 Adelaide Institute and Toben.biz ..................................................................... 129 iii 9.5 The Australian Civil Liberties Union............................................................... 137 9.6 Bible Believers................................................................................................ 138 9.7 The LaRouche Cult ......................................................................................... 142 9.8 Far-right “Christian” and “Identity” Churches ................................................. 143 9.9 One Nation, The Strategy and Associated Movements .................................... 145 9.10 "New Age" Groups ...................................................................................... 147 9.11 Miscellaneous Activists ............................................................................... 148 10.0 RESPONSES TO ANTISEMITISM ................................................................... 155 10.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 155 10.2 Political Leadership ..................................................................................... 155 10.3 Moral Leadership ........................................................................................ 156 10.4 Education .................................................................................................... 157 10.5 The Racial Hatred Act, 1995........................................................................ 158 10.6 State and Territory Anti-Racism Laws and Criminal Law ............................ 159 10.7 Media .......................................................................................................... 160 10.7.1 The Australian Press Council ....................................................................... 160 10.7.2 The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) ................... 160 10.7.3 Free TV (formerly Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations) ..................................................................................................................... 161 10.7.4 Right of Reply ............................................................................................. 161 10.8 Other Responses .......................................................................................... 161 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 163 Sample of Serious Attacks on Jewish Australians ...................................................... 163 Anti-Semitism in Australia increases by 31%, study shows ....................................... 167 Race Relations in Contemporary Australia ................................................................ 168 iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Year in Review Australia has produced a society which is less engaged in pondering whether Jews are legitimately “insiders” or “outsiders” than virtually any other Christian (or Muslim) majority state. Each day, there are millions of social interactions between Jews and Australians who are not Jews, and they are unexceptional and extremely unlikely to produce an environment of confrontation or conflict. However, between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012, the database assembled and maintained by the author of this report since 1989 included 543 reports of anti-Jewish violence, vandalism, harassment and intimidation, more than 30% above the previous twenty two year average. The physical manifestations arise in a context of a society in which there are individuals (and organisations) which have anti-Jewish prejudice which equates to, for example, anti-Asian, anti- Aborigine, anti-Arab or anti-African prejudice, expressing itself in terms of racial superiority or, in many cases, believe in and/or advocate antisemitism which goes beyond simple contempt, hatred or discrimination
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