of Australian Jewry ECAJ Public Fund 2014 REPORT on ANTISEMITISM in AUSTRALIA 1 October 2013 – 30 September 2014 This Report is produced to assist understanding of anti-Jewish violence, vandalism, harassment and prejudice in contemporary Australia Researched, written and compiled by JULIE NATHAN REPORT on ANTISEMITISM in AUSTRALIA 2014 1 October 2013 – 30 September 2014 This Report was written, researched and compiled by Julie Nathan, Research Officer, Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) This document should not be reproduced or distributed, and the original work not quoted, without the express permission of the author. © Executive Council of Australian Jewry Inc. PO Box 1114, Edgecliff, NSW, 2027 Phone: 02 8353 8500 Email: [email protected] Published by ECAJ, and funded by ECAJ Public Fund, a public fund listed on the Register of Harm Prevention Charities under Subdivision 30-EA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. 9 November 2014 1 “The Holocaust did not begin in the gas chambers - it began with words.” - Professor Irwin Cotler, former Canadian Minister of Justice “Through the ages, anti-Semitism has been grounded in the foundational anti-Semitic paradigm. This has five elements: Jews are fundamentally different from non-Jews. Jews are noxious. Jews are willfully malevolent. Jews are powerful. Jews are therefore dangerous. Either implicit or explicitly stated is a sixth element: that Jews must be kept in check, at bay, or somehow eliminated. In every era, specific anti-Semitic elaborations and accusations build upon this foundational paradigm by adapting themselves to the local cultural, social and political conditions of the times.” - Daniel Jonah Goldhagen 2 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 6 Executive Summary....................................................................................... 6 Selection Criteria for Inclusion in the Report................................................ 8 What is Antisemitism..................................................................................... 9 The Term ‘Antisemitism’............................................................................... 10 Contemporary Forms of Antisemitic Discourse…….................................... 10 A Brief History of Antisemitism................................................................... 11 EU Definition of Antisemitism..................................................................... 12 Themes in anti-Jewish rhetoric...................................................................... 14 2. ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS…............................................................... 15 Incidents and Data 2013-2014...................................................................... 15 Serious incidents since 1989.......................................................................... 39 3. ANTISEMITISM in MAINSTREAM MEDIA and SOCIETY............. 43 ABC.............................................................................................................. 44 Sunday Mail: Peter Goers.............................................................................. 55 SMH: Le Lievre cartoon................................................................................ 56 Channel 9: “Unholy War”.............................................................................. 57 Amnesty International Australia ................................................................... 58 Media debate: Proposed repeal of 18C......................................................... 60 Media debate: Bob Carr and “the Jewish Lobby”......................................... 64 Media debate: East Jerusalem terminology................................................... 73 Media debate: Israel / Gaza conflict 2014..................................................... 75 The Age: Gary Oldman issue......................................................................... 76 Gold Coast Bulletin........................................................................................ 77 The Guardian.................................................................................................. 77 On Line Opinion............................................................................................. 78 Holocaust Denial........................................................................................... 81 Holocaust Minimization................................................................................ 81 Nazi Memorabilia.......................................................................................... 82 4. ORGANISATIONS and ONLINE............................................................. 83 Organisations.................................................................................................. 84 Australian League of Rights............................................................... 84 Blood and Honour.............................................................................. 84 Citizens Electoral Council.................................................................. 84 Church of Creativity........................................................................... 84 Golden Dawn Australia...................................................................... 85 Nationalist Alternative........................................................................ 85 Squadron 88........................................................................................ 85 Websites.......................................................................................................... 86 Adelaide Institute............................................................................... 86 Isolate But Preserve............................................................................ 89 Expel The Parasite.............................................................................. 92 3 Videos............................................................................................................ 97 Brendon O’Connell............................................................................ 97 Brian Concannon............................................................................... 103 Stop Funding Israel........................................................................... 106 Facebook........................................................................................................ 108 Take That Back.................................................................................. 108 HSC Discussion Group...................................................................... 112 Twitter........................................................................................................... 113 Kill them all....................................................................................... 113 Jews are fair game.............................................................................. 113 Moneyed Jews................................................................................... 114 5. CHRISTIAN................................................................................................. 115 Bible Believers............................................................................................... 115 UTS Christian group – Curse the Talmud..................................................... 119 Jews for Jesus Australia................................................................................. 120 6. MUSLIM....................................................................................................... 121 Islamic Bookstore........................................................................................... 121 Junaid Thorne.................................................................................................. 122 Sheikh Wahwah.............................................................................................. 123 Islamophobia Register Australia..................................................................... 124 Sheikh Sharif Hussein..................................................................................... 125 Muslim Village website/forums/facebook...................................................... 125 7. ANTISEMITISM in the ANTI-ISRAEL MOVEMENT.......................... 137 Natan Sharansky - 3D Test............................................................................. 139 Alan Dershowitz - criteria............................................................................... 140 Israel-Gaza war protests.................................................................................. 142 State based organisations................................................................................. 152 Adelaide: AFOPA............................................................................... 152 Brisbane: Justice for Palestine Brisbane.............................................. 152 Canberra: PAG Canberra..................................................................... 154 Melbourne: Australians For Palestine / Advocacy Group.................. 155 Perth: FOPWA.................................................................................... 159 Sydney: Palestine Action Group Sydney............................................ 159 Other................................................................................................................ 160 Students for PalaStine........................................................................