AUSTRALIA GOING DOWN UNDER: MAJOR INCREASE IN ANTI-JEWISH INCIDENTS
29 November 2009
“ANTI-JEWISH INCIDENTS IN AUSTRALIA AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH”:
20 -year study of antisemitism in Australia reveals:
Unprecedented number of anti-Jewish incidents in latest 12-month period;
latest technology employed to spread ancient hatred;
“rhetorical red-lines” crossed;
political and religious extremists co-operate to distort public debate.
“Between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009, an unprecedented
962 reports of anti-Jewish violence, vandalism, harassment and
intimidation were received by Australian Jewish organisations”,
Australia’s leading researcher into antisemitic activity, Jeremy
Jones, told the Annual Meeting of the Executive Council of Australian
Jewry (ECAJ) in Sydney today (Sunday November 29).
“It is important to emphasise that my research over 20 years indicates
Australians are fundamentally tolerant and opposed to discrimination,
vilification or harassment of Jews and other segments
of the population, but that a relatively small number of fanatic and
offensive individuals are increasingly active in trying to diminish
the quality of life of Jewish Australians”, he noted.
“Internationally, Australia scores very well as a successful
multicultural society”.
“In most cases, particularly with regards to Interfaith understanding
and co-operation, legal recourse provided to victims of racism and in
international activity to strengthen tolerance, Australia’s progress
over 20 years has been outstanding”, he added.
“However, the latest twelve-month period saw the highest ever tally of
reports of anti-Jewish violence, vandalism, harassment and
intimidation, at a rate more than twice the annual average, mainly due
to new peaks in abuse and harassment in public streets and via email”.
“More than in any other 12-month period, Jewish Australians walking to
and from synagogue were abused by passing motorists, Jewish people
were confronted with incitement against them in Australian cities, and
abusive, offensive and intimidatory emails were received by Jewish
Australians at their homes and workplaces”, he said.
“On the positive side of the ledger, there was a marked decrease in
reports of physical violence against Jewish individuals and property,
with 27 incidents compared with 58 and 46 in the previous two years.
27 is the average in this category over 20 years”.
“Telephone threats, hate mail and graffiti were also reported at below
average rates”, he added.
Mr Jones, the Director of International & Community Affairs for the
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and a former president of
the ECAJ, has maintained a comprehensive database of anti-Jewish
attacks since 1989, during which time he has logged 7,513 incidents
which are defined by Australian government agencies as “racial
violence” against the Jewish community.
He also noted that “anti-Jewish propaganda in fringe publications and
from extremist organisations remains an ongoing concern; conspiracy
theories abounded on the internet and these included a
disturbing proportion which were overtly or implicitly antisemitic;
and there is particular concern at the negative impact of material
from a variety of overseas sources which has as its thesis an eternal
enmity of Muslims towards Jews.”
He reported that “the period in review included the 2008/9 “Operation
Cast Lead”, in which Israel fought HAMAS in Gaza, a time when
anti-Jewish emails and public abuse reached unprecedented levels.
However, the abuse of synagogue-goers commenced its dramatic increase
months prior to that event”.
He applauded the fact that “public discussion on the extradition
request by Hungary to Australia for alleged Nazi War Criminal Charles
Zentai, the Federal Court contempt hearing process under the Racial
Hatred Act concerning Fredrick Toben and discussions of Middle East
politics has generally been passionate without being racially abusive,
despite the efforts and activities of some organised political groups
who seek to create conflict and division.”
He listed “The most significant developments over the past 20 years” as
� the crossing of a variety of “red lines” in anti-Jewish
rhetoric, particularly from sections of the political Left, relating
to false and offensive comparisons of Israel/Jews with Nazis/Nazism
and unashamed association with fascist and antisemitic groups such as
HAMAS;
� the growth of a diverse, dynamic Muslim community which has
segments which are actively anti-Jewish (as well as those who are
actively opposed to antisemitism);
� the continued failure of far-right groups to gain traction,
despite outbursts of xenophobia beyond the far right extremes;
� the diminution in significance of Eastern and Central
European post-war migrants as a base of antisemitism;
� a number of positive developments from Australian Churches
in attitudes to Jews and
Judaism;
� the introduction of Federal, and development of State and
Territory, legislation designed to give recourse to victims of racism
and religious discrimination/harassment;
� the internationalisation of a number of strands of
antisemitic activity, through improved
communication technology and also movements of individuals and populations;
� the enlistment of persons who identify as Jewish in support
of a variety of anti-Jewish slurs;
� the exponential growth and now pervasiveness of on-line
technology, which has changed the modes and ease by which antisemites
can abuse, harass and intimidate, reshaped and improved the
relationships between local, regional, national and international
antisemitic groups, resulted in the dissolution of the concept of
common information, provided isolated
and alienated individuals with the ability to broadcast their views
widely, and forced those concerned with racism and antisemitism to
re-evaluate strategies for containment of, and response to, these
negative and destructive concepts.”
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