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As Australia, like the rest of the West, continues to slide into the dark valley of unabashed anti-Semitism, for our elites, it’s very much one step forward, two big ol’ goose-steps backward.
Yesterday, the government and opposition united in condemning anti-Semitism, and especially its representatives and enablers in parliament, the Greens. At the same time, though, Anthony Albanese promptly walked backwards by qualifiying it with the dreary double-speak of “…and Islamophobia”. Albanese has also pointedly refused to rebuke his own senator, Fatima Payman, for shouting the Hamas genocide chant in parliament.
The worst culprits when it comes to enabling anti-Semitism, Australia’s universities, are playing the same dangerous game of one step forward, a Long March back.
The Australian National University has referred four of its students to police after pro-Palestine protests, and has expelled two students since October last year in relation to protests about the conflict in the Middle East.
Which is very much a case of too little, too late.
The revelations came as the university was hauled before a Senate estimates committee for only the second time in its history – to knowledge – to be grilled on its response to anti-Semitism on campus.
Vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell revealed that the university had also sent a “show cause” notice to the student association following revelations in The Australian of alleged Nazi-inspired gestures at one of its meetings where Jewish students tried to address anti-Semitism […]
One of the expelled ANU students is believed to be Beatrice Tucker, who, as revealed by The Australian last month, drew ire for saying that Hamas deserves “unconditional support” in an appearance on ABC radio.
The students at least have the poor excuse of being ignorant cretins. What’s worse are the ignorant cretins who are soaking up millions of taxes in “research grants”.
Evidence to the Senate estimates committee also revealed that the Australian Research Council had consulted Macquarie University numerous times in relation to one of its staff members, Randa Abdel-Fattah, to express concerns about her behaviour given grants she received that together exceed $800,000
The Australian
Abdel-Fattah not only organised a group of primary-school children to chant for “intifada”, she also distributed a “Jew list”, doxxing Jewish Australians.
The only silver lining from all this is that at least the anti-Semites are outing themselves. Every single one of them should be named and shamed. Especially when they are living on the taxpayer’s dollar. Even more so when they bring disgrace on to the armed services.
Defence is considering disciplinary action against officials and serving ADF personnel who have signed an open letter accusing the Australian government of complicity in “the genocide, ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine”.
The department’s secretary Greg Moriarty and the Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday that uniformed and civilian Defence employees were among more than 2200 public servants who had signed the letter.
The Australian
At the grass-roots level, it’s notable that anti-Semitism is widespread among fashionable “progressives”. One is forcefully reminded of Orwell’s jibe at “the astute young social-literary climbers who are Communists now, as they will be Fascists five years hence, because it is all the go”. What’s all the go now for the bourgeois chattering classes is much worse.
A town in Tasmania noted for its fashionable, left-wing “counter-culture” bragged on Facebook of its “pro-Palestine” film screening, with a speech by a pro-Hamas Muslim academic. What next? I commented. A special screening of Triumph of the Will, with Q+A by Blair Cottrell? They blocked me.
The truth will out, though.
The Katoomba Antique Centre displayed on its front window a painting of a rat-like person with conspiracy theories about Zionists. The character in the painting has horns, large ears, a large nose, a long tongue, and is holding puppet strings at the end of long, clawed fingers.
Text on the painting reads, “the Zionists own your government, install all politicians, control the justice system, print all fiat currency, own pharmacy and medical” […] The window also featured a “Free Palestine” flag.
The Australian
As Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin says, the display gives away the lie that “Zionist” is any but a code-word for “THE JEWS”.
Still, as I said, at least the anti-Semites are outing themselves for all to see.
Just as when a fashionable restaurant in my town flew a “Palestine” flag. A few days later, the flag came down and the restaurant was on the local Facebook page, begging for people to come, after they’d been hit with a wave of cancelled bookings.
Sunlight really is the best disinfectant.
