| The Jewish Council of Australia has today warned that the newly released Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism risks undermining Australia’s democratic freedoms, inflaming community divisions, and entrenching selective approaches to racism that serve political agendas. The report is riddled with misinformation and claims about nefarious funding sources for protests and universities that verge on conspiracy theory. The Council is especially concerned about the plan’s strong endorsement of the widely discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been used to silence legitimate criticism of Israel and Zionism. The Council criticised the plan’s emphasis on surveillance, censorship, and punitive control over the funding of cultural and educational institutions: measures straight out of Trump’s authoritarian playbook. We caution that some of the reccommendations including new visa powers and judicial inquiries into student activity — risk censoring criticism of Israel, deepening racism, and failing to meaningfully address the root causes of antisemitism. The Council is calling on the government to: Ground its response in anti-racist principles that include tackling Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, racism against First Nations people and all other forms of racism; Engage a broad spectrum of Jewish voices, including those critical of Israel, who have not been consulted in the development of this plan; Reject authoritarian proposals that erode civil liberties under the false guise of Jewish safety. |
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| Dr Max Kaiser, Executive Officer, Jewish Council of Australia “This document reads more like a blueprint for silencing dissent rather than a strategy to build inclusion. The report’s vague language around ‘antisemitic narratives’ or ‘affiliations’ , coupled with its emphasis on the discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, make the actions recommended dangerously unclear. Consistent with her past statements erroneously linking antisemitic attacks with Palestine solidarity protests, Segal seems fixated on driving a pro-Israel narrative and repressing legitimate criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Antisemitism is real and must be taken seriously. But it does not exist in a vacuum. Any response that treats antisemitism as exceptional, while ignoring Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and other forms of hate, is doomed to fail.” |