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Hash Tayeh doubles down on claims store’s alleged arson was ‘hate crime’

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

One of the men charged with torching the Burgertory restaurant — sparking volatile protests in Caulfield amid claims of a hate crime — has refused to face court, complaining of a sore leg.

Wayle Mana, 24, was remanded in custody on Thursday after a short filing hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, which he declined to front, remaining in the police cells due to a leg injury.

Police have charged two men for torching the restaurant, which, according to court documents caused $450k worth of damage to the Burgertory shop on November 10.

Mr Man was also charged over a fire at a Bendigo tobacco shop that was torched on Monday.

Police say the blaze caused more than $4m worth of damage to the Hargreaves Mall store.

The Burgertory store fire sparked volatile protests against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Court documents reveal that Mr Mana, from Preston, faces a series of charges from November 10, including for the Burgertory blaze, which has been labelled a hate crime by shop owner and Palestinian-Australian man Hash Tayeh.

That assertion was rejected by police days later.

Other charges that same day include stealing a $10k Gold 2002 Mercedes sedan in Doncaster, and committing an unlawful assault, also in Doncaster.

Further to November 10 offences, Mr Mana has been charged with a series of alleged crimes on January 29.

They include allegedly setting fire to the Bendigo’s Free Choice Tobacconist, stealing a 2020 Mazda CX-5 valued at $30k, and also of attempting to commit the indictable offence of criminal damage by fire.

All up, Mr Mana faces seven charges.

He was remanded in custody, with his next court appearance expected on May 30.

Another man, 27, arrested over the fire at an apartment on Belsize Ave, Carnegie, was bailed and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Mr Tayeh on Thursday doubled down on his claims that the fire that gutted his Caulfield store was a hate crime, despite police saying otherwise.

He said while he welcomed the news that two people had been charged in relation to the blaze, he still believed the attack was religiously motivated.

In a video posted to social media, Mr Tayeh stood by his earlier comments.

“People are criticising me for calling this a hate crime, but I want to ask you, how would you have felt if your shop was firebombed after two weeks of constant harassment, abuse and intimidation?” he said.

“Our staff were called terrorists and were told that they work for a terrorist.

“After hours, posters of kidnapped Israelis were put under our door and plastered on our windows.

“Our store was spat on, people screaming out of their cars as they drove past intimidating our staff.”

Mr Tayeh then explained how a video posted in the aftermath of the blaze confirmed his belief that he was the victim of a hate crime.

The man in the video compared the Burgertory fire to “the smell of burnt children in Gaza.”

“After seeing this video, how can I be blamed for believing that this was a hate crime?,” Mr Tayeh added.

“For those that are calling for me to apologise, how would you have felt if you’re on the receiving end of that abuse?

“Those threats, those acts of intimidation, how would you have felt if it was your family that felt threatened and scared to the point where they could not leave their home?

“For those that call me anti-Semitic, I have always openly called for the safety of Jewish people and for the collaboration between our communities.”

Inspector Scott Dwyer of Moorabbin Investigation and Response said his members had worked diligently to hold those responsible to account.

“We know this incident was not a hate crime, it wasn’t motivated by prejudice or politics,” Insp. Dwyer said on Wednesday.

“Not only did this blaze destroy a business, it also put innocent members of the public at risk of being injured.

“Victoria Police will continue to target anyone connected to criminality that recklessly puts others in harm’s way.”

Mr Tayeh, said in the aftermath of the fire that it was a hate crime but police rejected that assertion in the days after the fire.

Jewish leaders called on pro-Palestine activists who claimed the fire attack was a hate crime to immediately retract their accusations and apologise for “concocting and disseminating blood libels”.

Despite repeated attempts by Victoria Police to assure the community that the fire bombing was not religiously or politically motivated, pro-Palestine groups at the time claimed the attack was “motivated by hostility to the store owner’s pro-Palestinian stance”.

One organisation had also expressed “grave concern that this was an intentional act against” Mr Tayeh “as a Palestinian and Muslim”.

The accusations were followed by a pro-Palestine protest in the heart of the Jewish community in Caulfield on the Jewish Sabbath which resulted in a synagogue being evacuated.

It later turned violent when protesters clashed with police, forcing officers to deploy pepper spray.

Zionism Victoria president Yossi Goldfarb said those “who helped spread this malicious slur – concocting and disseminating blood libels – are directly responsible for the violent scenes we saw outside the synagogue that night”.

“And their failure to retract their comments, despite police assurances to the contrary, have helped stoke the flames of antisemitism that have engulfed Victoria in the weeks and months since,” he said.

The Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre, which is located across the road from the Burgertory store, has twice been vandalised with anti-Israel graffiti since the arson attack.

“As proud Victorians, it has been profoundly distressing to witness – and indeed experience first-hand – the deterioration of the multiculturalism we value so much,” Mr Goldfarb said.

“Now is the time for all those who cast aspersions on the Jewish community to hold their hands up, admit they were wrong and apologise for their part in the hate, hostility and heinous antisemitism casting a shadow over our state.”

A statement released by lawyers acting for Mr Tayeh on Wednesday acknowledged the arrests and said “all evidence of threats and intimidation” in the lead up to the attack was being provided to police.

“Burgertory has been assisting Victoria police with the investigation, including providing all

evidence of threats and intimidation received by Burgertory prior to the arson attack and are pleased the investigation has now progressed,” it read.

“The matter is now before the courts and therefore it is not appropriate to further comment.”

“Burgertory fully respects the criminal justice system process and looks forward to achieving justice and information around the motive behind this dangerous crime.”

Penny Wong suggests Australia wants to resume UNRWA funding, noting ‘reality’ of Gaza situation

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Penny Wong has suggested that Australia wants to resume funding to the United Nations agency delivering aid to Gaza as soon as possible, maintaining that while recent allegations about staff were gravely serious, there are no alternatives.

Australia, alongside the United States, the United Kingdom and a number of other like-minded countries, paused their funding to the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on the weekend, amid allegations that at least 12 agency staff were linked to Hamas’ deadly October 7 attacks in southern Israel.

Senator Wong had announced an additional $6m to UNRWA during her visit to the Middle East last month.

The UN has pleaded for the countries to resume their funding, but the Australian government has maintained that the allegations need to be properly investigated before funds can be resumed.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described the agency as “the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza”, and said countries had a responsibility to ensure the longevity of UNRWA’s “lifesaving work” – which Senator Wong agreed with.

Asked about the state of the funding on Thursday, the Foreign Minister said Australia had a long history of supporting the agency over more than six decades because it recognised the important role it played in delivering humanitarian aid.

She confirmed Australia was working with its like minded partners to “urgently” move towards a resolution.

“It is … the only organisation which delivers the assistance and substantive support within the international system. That is the reality,” she said.

“We have made clear they need to be thoroughly investigated and those responsible need to be held accountable.

“I think it is important that we remember why it is that previous governments have funded this organisation, but also the scale of the humanitarian crisis and the absence of any alternatives, if we are serious about trying to ensure that fewer children are faced with – that is what we are faced with.”

She said the reality of the situation in Gaza at the moment was that, according to the UN, “400,000 Palestinians in Gaza are actually starving, and a million more are at risk of starvation”.

“An estimated 1.7 million people in Gaza are internally displaced and there are increasingly few safe places for Palestinians to go,” she said.

The Coalition has hit out at Labor for not heeding advice about UNRWA’s supposed links to Hamas earlier, with foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham accusing the Albanese government of “ignoring warnings from the Australian Jewish community”.

“Rather than looking for absolutely fail-safe mechanisms to provide the humanitarian assistance that, of course, people in Gaza need and deserve for innocent civilians, and that should be provided through institutions and organisations where there is complete confidence that none of that funding will support Hamas terrorist operations or the promotion of extremist ideology,” Senator Birmingham said earlier this week.

UN officials have warned that UNRWA will be made to halt operations by the end of February if funding is not restored.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed UNRWA was “totally infiltrated” by Hamas and has called for its termination.

Palestinian officials have claimed Israel has falsified information.

Originally published as Penny Wong suggests Australia wants to resume UNRWA funding, noting ‘reality’ of Gaza situation

Hundreds of Jewish creatives have names, details taken in leak, published online

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Anti-Zionist activists have published the names, images, professions and social media accounts of hundreds of Jewish people working in academia and creative industries, in an escalation of social tensions over the October 7 attacks and subsequent war in Gaza.

The dissemination of almost 600 names and their personal details was taken from the purported membership of a private WhatsApp Group formed last year by Jewish writers, artists, musicians and academics.

The leak included a spreadsheet with links to social media accounts and a separate file with a photo gallery of more than 100 Jewish people.

The mass doxxing on Thursday came as Victoria Police confirmed it was already investigating potential criminal breaches of privacy from earlier incidents relating to the same WhatsApp group.

“Police are investigating following reports the personal details of a number of people, who belong to a private social media chat group, appear to have been released online,” a police spokesperson said.

It appears the latest material, which was compiled from a leaked transcript of chat group discussions over several months, was published without activists confirming the accuracy of its contents.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald were contacted by a Jewish journalist who was not a member of the WhatsApp group but whose name was included in the published spreadsheet.

“I have been vocally critical of Israel, was not added to the group and specially said I didn’t want to be in that group, and my name is on the spreadsheet,” said the Melbourne-based journalist, who asked not to be named for fear of further harassment.

“I am not a Zionist, I have never been a Zionist, I am just a Jewish woman trying to go about my life. This is a group of any Jew they know the name of. I can’t believe it is happening.”

Feminist author Clementine Ford was among several pro-Palestinian activists who published a link to the “leaked zionist group chat” on Thursday.

“This is a group of ‘creatives’ working to silence voices calling for Palestinian liberation,” Ford told her more than 250,000 Instagram followers.

When asked why she published the material, Ford replied: “I would say that people whose livelihoods and professional reputations are mendaciously – and successfully – targeted in secret by others invested in silencing their criticism of a genocide are entitled to defend themselves.”

This masthead previously revealed that some members of the J.E.W.I.S.H creatives and academics group and a separate WhatsApp group of Jewish lawyers wrote to ABC managing director David Anderson and chair Ita Buttrose demanding they sack broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf.

The ABC has been gripped by conflict between union staff and management since it sacked Lattouf for reposting a Human Rights Watch report on social media that was critical of Israel. Lattouf has taken legal action, claiming unlawful termination on the grounds of her race and political opinion. Anderson has insisted that the corporation was not influenced by external pressure in its sacking of Lattouf.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the widely disseminated “Jew list”, as he described it, was designed to damage the reputation and professional careers of people who had spoken against the rise of antisemitism following the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which killed about 1200 people in southern Israel.

“These people have painstakingly collected the names, faces, professions and other personal information of a group of Australians whose sole common trait is that they are Jews,” Ryvchin said.

“They are telling those who chant ‘Where’s the Jews?’ exactly who and where the Jews are.”

Shortly after the October 7 attacks, pro-Palestinian protesters were filmed chanting “Where’s the Jews?” and other slogans outside the Sydney Opera House.
“It is a ‘Jew list’ drawn up and published in a menacing manner intended to inflict maximum emotional damage and professional loss,” Ryvchin said.

Lee Kofman, a Melbourne-based Jewish author who administered the creatives and academics WhatsApp group, said the group was formed in October last year to support and advocate for Jewish people who felt alienated or isolated from their professional peers because of the war.

She said the group was not a political lobby and rejected its characterisation as a “secret Zionist cabal” with influence in high places.

“This is absurd and offensive, and feeds directly into the ancient and hateful antisemitic tropes about the Jews controlling, or trying to control, the world,” she said.

“Instead, we try to oppose: professional discrimination we are experiencing, like loss of work or workplace safety; silencing of our voices; overt racism we’ve experienced from some peers; media coverage of issues affecting our community that we feel is unfair or untrue.”

Kofman confirmed that some members of the group had “exercised their democratic right to complain to government, media and institutions”.

This included some members petitioning ABC management about Lattouf, a broadcaster highly critical of Israel who was contracted as a fill-in host on Sydney radio for five days in December. She was removed from air with two days left to run on her contract.

Although the WhatsApp group was private, with members explicitly asked not to republish the contents of its online discussions, a 900-page transcript of the group chat was leaked and disseminated to pro-Palestinian activists in late January.

Since then, some members of the group – renamed Zio600 by activists – have been outed online, with details of what they said in the chat group and their personal information published through a network of social media accounts.

Foreign minister Penny Wong says Australia does not yet have all evidence of Israel’s UNRWA allegations

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has sought further evidence that UN aid staff were involved in the Hamas terror attacks of October 7, admitting she does not yet have all the evidence to hand.

Australia and other countries including the US, UK, Switzerland and Germany paused their funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) after the agency announced it would investigate Israel’s allegations that 12 of its 13,000 staff played a part in the attacks or had links to Hamas.

Senator Wong told the ABC’s 7.30 she had sought evidence from Israel, but had not received a response and had not asked UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini to share any evidence he might have had.

She admitted she was not in possession of all the evidence.

“No, we’re not,” she said.

“We have spoken to the Israelis and we have asked for further evidence.”

When pressed on why she did not ask Mr Lazzarini, Senator Wong reiterated she had asked Israel, and she was not aware if Mr Lazzarini had evidence.

“He may, I don’t know what he has,” she said.

British news outlet Channel 4 cast doubt over the allegations, reporting a dossier Israel provided to the UN to support its allegations contained “no evidence” to support the claims.

But Senator Wong maintained Israel’s allegations were serious, noting UNRWA itself had determined an investigation was warranted.

“I think it is clear from UNRWA’s own actions that they regard these allegations as serious,” she said.

“They have taken action including terminating the employment of a number of employees and putting in place an inquiry – in fact, there are two inquiries.”

Senator Wong last week hinted Australia could soon reinstate its funding to the agency, when she emphasised it was the only organisation providing substantive support to the occupied Palestinian territories.

Australia had already doubled its annual core funding to UNRWA – from $10 million to $20 million – but an additional $6 million, that Senator Wong announced on her recent trip to the Middle East, had been paused.

“The primary concern is making sure that other donors, particularly those that have not provided their next round of operational funding – core funding – that that confidence can be attained before the end of the month,” she said.

Labor MP criticises Israel over ceasefire rejection
Earlier on Thursday, Labor MP Josh Wilson said Israel’s rejection of a Hamas ceasefire offer was “heartbreaking”.

Hamas had proposed a Gaza ceasefire of four-and-a-half months, during which all hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip and an agreement would be reached on an end to the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his pledge to destroy Hamas and said Israel was “on the way to an absolute victory”.

Mr Wilson said the continuation of the war was “unacceptable”.

“It means more than 100 Israeli hostages remain in captivity. It’s abhorrent that they were ever taken,” he said.

“[And] it means the unconscionable bombardment and suffering of the people of Gaza will continue.”

Mr Wilson said Israel’s bombardment of Gaza was “not self-defence … The truth is that Gaza is being bombed into rubble, with 70 per cent of buildings damaged and the entire population being squeezed further and further south in starvation conditions without basic medical services,” he said. “It is wrong and it has to stop.”

Senator Wong said Australia’s position on the war was “crystal clear”, citing its support for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” at the United Nations and in a joint statement with Canada and New Zealand.

‘The fight continues’: Lattouf versus ABC hearing ends in stalemate

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Antoinette Lattouf’s unlawful termination case against the ABC will continue after the sacked journalist said a resolution could not be reached by her and the organisation’s lawyers in a mediation hearing.

“The case didn’t resolve today, but the fight continues, and I’m willing and prepared to fight for as long as it takes,” she told reporters outside the Fair Work Commission chambers in Sydney on Thursday afternoon.

Lattouf stressed the case’s importance was about free speech, racism, the role of journalists, and a fair, independent and robust ABC.

“I will always advocate and fight for an ABC that can operate and inform the masses, inform and entertain the masses without fear or favour,” she said.

Lattouf was sacked by the ABC three days into a five-day short-term contract in December, filling in for ABC Radio Sydney Mornings host Sarah Macdonald.

After she filed an unlawful termination application with Fair Work in December, last week she extended her claim to include racial discrimination, alongside the initial claim of expression of political opinion relating to a social media post.

Lattouf’s legal team is seeking a detailed public apology and compensation for harm to her reputation, distress and humiliation. She will also seek an order that the ABC offer her a commensurate role back on air.

The broadcaster is arguing Lattouf was asked not to return after breaching a directive from management not to make any social media posts about “controversial topics”.

The ABC says she breached this directive by reposting a Human Rights Watch report two days into her week on air. Her race or political opinion did not influence the decision, it says.

Before the ABC employed her, Lattouf had posted on social media that Israeli soldiers had used rape as a weapon of war, and raised questions over whether protesters in Sydney had in fact chanted “gas the Jews” after the October 7 Hamas attack.

She had also said the “Israeli military machine … is driven by bloodthirsty, extremist men who want to justify the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians”.

These comments do not form part of the ABC’s case because her only social media activity in the relevant period of her employment was to repost the Human Rights Watch report.

ABC staff have become increasingly dismayed over the course of the past week with the unfolding Lattouf crisis, alongside the resignation of federal politics reporter Nour Haydar, who cited the ABC’s ongoing coverage of the conflict in Gaza as a factor in her decision.

After The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed a co-ordinated back-channel campaign by the Lawyers for Israel group lobbying for Lattouf’s sacking on Tuesday, ABC staff in Sydney demanded a meeting with managing director David Anderson to answer questions about a lack of protection for staff facing external criticism and the transparency of the ABC’s complaints-handling process.

A walk-out was threatened should concerns not be addressed.

About 200 ABC staff met virtually on Wednesday, endorsing demands outlined the day before.

Anderson issued a statement to all ABC employees on Wednesday afternoon, reaffirming the “paramount importance” of the public broadcaster’s independence, and refuting any allegations it could be influenced by lobbying efforts.

“The ABC rejects any claim that it has been influenced by any external pressure, whether it be an advocacy or lobby group, a political party, or commercial entity,” Anderson’s statement said.

However, the broadcaster’s union house committee swiftly rejected the statement, saying it did not address the concerns raised, nor the request for an urgent meeting.

Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes on Iran, as conflict spreads

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Islamabad: Pakistan’s air force has launched retaliatory airstrikes on Iran allegedly targeting militant positions, an attack that killed at least nine people and further raised tensions between the neighbouring nations and in the region.

The strikes in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province follow Iran’s attack on Tuesday on Pakistani soil, that killed two children in the similarly named south-western Baluchistan province.

A deputy governor of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, Ali Reza Marhamati said the victims of Thursday’s strike near the town of Saravan included three women, four children and two men.

The strikes imperil diplomatic relations between the two neighbours, as Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks.

The attacks represent a further spread of conflict across the Middle East. Israel’s war with Hamas began in October, after Hamas attacked southern Israel. Iran also staged airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday (AEDT) over an Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing that killed more than 90 people earlier this month. Iraq has recalled its ambassador from Iran for consultations.

A Pakistani intelligence source told Reuters the strikes were carried out by military aircraft.

“Our forces have conducted strikes to target Baloch militants inside Iran,” said the official in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

“The targeted militants belong to BLF,” he added, referring to the Balochistan Liberation Front, which seeks independence for Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described its attack as “a series of highly co-ordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes” on militant hideouts. It said “a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation”.

“Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the ministry added.

“The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”

It said the country would “continue to take all necessary steps to preserve the safety and security of its people”.

Tehran has demanded an explanation, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said. Iranian state television, quoting an anonymous official after the strike, said Tehran strongly condemned the attack.

Pakistan ‘crossed a line’

Pakistan’s comments after its strikes signal a desire to keep the row contained, but analysts warned it could get out of hand.

“Iran’s motivation for attacking Pakistan remains opaque but in light of broader Iranian behaviour in the region it can escalate,” Asfandyr Mir, a senior expert on South Asia security at the US Institute of Peace, told Reuters.

“What will cause anxiety in Tehran is that Pakistan has crossed a line by hitting inside Iranian territory, a threshold that even the US and Israel have been careful to not breach.”

Several insurgent groups operate in Iran and Pakistan, including the Jaish al-Adl Sunni separatist group that was targeted by Tehran in its own strike. They all have a common goal of an independent Baluchistan for ethnic Baluch areas in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, as well as Iran’s neighbouring Sistan and Baluchestan province, have faced a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades.

Pakistan named its operation “Marg Bar Sarmachar”. In Iranian Farsi, “marg bar” means “death to” – and is a famous saying in Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution used to refer to both the US and Israel. In the local Baluch language, “sarmachar” means guerrilla and is used by the militants operating in the cross-border region.

A deputy governor of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, Ali Reza Marhamati, gave the casualty figures from Thursday’s strike in a telephone interview, saying the dead included three women and four children. He did not immediately elaborate.

HalVash, an advocacy group for the Baluch people, shared images online that appeared to show the remains of the munitions used in the attack. It said a number of homes had been struck in Saravan, a city in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province. It shared videos showing a mud-walled building destroyed and smoke rising over the strike immediately after.

It came a day after Pakistan recalled its ambassador to Tehran because of Tuesday’s strikes by Iran. Iran claimed it targeted bases for a militant Sunni separatist group. It drew strong condemnation from Pakistan, which denounced the attack as a “blatant violation” of its airspace and said it killed two children.

The risk of escalation remained as Iran’s military was due to begin a planned annual air defence drill from its port of Chabahar near Pakistan across the south of the country to Iraq on Thursday. The drill, Velayat 1402, will include live fire from aircraft, drones and air defence systems.

Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometre, largely lawless border in which smugglers and militants freely pass between the two nations. The route is also key to global opium shipments coming out of Afghanistan.

For both Iran and Pakistan, the cross-border attacks renew questions about the preparedness of their own militaries, particularly their radar and air defence systems.

For Pakistan, such systems are crucial as tensions always remain at a low boil with India, its nuclear-armed rival. Pakistani equipment has long been deployed along the frontier, rather than its border with Iran. For Iran, it relies on those systems against potential strikes by its main enemy, the US.

– AP, Reuters

Sacked journalist Antoinette Lattouf to continue fight against ABC after her complaint was not resolved at a Fair Work Commission meeting

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Sacked radio host Antoinette Lattouf’s unlawful termination claim against the ABC remains unresolved after a mediation hearing on Thursday, with the journalist vowing to continue her fight against “racism”, and to defend her right to “free speech”.

Lattouf claims she was unlawfully sacked on December 20 as a fill-in radio host for ABC Sydney due to the expression of political opinions, and because of her race.

The matter was heard in the Fair Work Commission but after the 90-minute conciliation failed to reach a resolution, Lattouf spoke of her determination to fight for “truth-telling in journalism”.

“I won’t stop. I will fight as long as I need to,” Lattouf said in a statement.

“It’s about free speech. It’s about racism. It’s about the importance of truth telling in journalism. It’s about the need for a strong, representative and independent ABC.”

Lattouf’s comments come after ABC managing director David Anderson said on Wednesday the taxpayer-funded organisation is “proud of our high standards of independent journalism” and “adhering to our responsibilities of impartiality and accuracy.”

Mr Anderson remains under pressure by ABC staff and union representatives after they requested he meet with them in person to explain why she was sacked.

Lattouf was scheduled to fill in for regular ABC Sydney host Sarah Macdonald for five days prior to Christmas, but was sacked after her third shift. In her FWC claim, Lattouf alleges she was unlawfully terminated for breaching the ABC’s social media guidelines after sharing a post by Human Rights Watch about the war that read: “The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza.”

Fair Work documents state that the ABC’s chief content officer Chris Oliver-Taylor made the decision she should not perform her last two shifts that week after she shared the post.

In the ABC’s written defence seen by The Australian, it said “any ‘political opinion’ held by the applicant was entirely irrelevant” to her job termination and no action was taken against her because of her race.

Lattouf is being represented by Maurice Blackburn’s Josh Bornstein and in a statement this month he said he would be seeking a “detailed, public apology and compensation for harm to reputation and for distress and humiliation”.

He also said “Antoinette will seek an order that the ABC offer her a commensurate role back on air.”

Lattouf said she had received support in Australia and internationally and her online crowd-funding plea — that was set up to help pay for her legal fees — has received more than $65,500 in donations from more than 1500 people.

“I love the ABC, I always have. I will always advocate for a public broadcaster that operates without fear or favour,” she said.

“The reason millions of people are invested in this case is because it’s about so much more than me.”

The next steps in the matter are yet to be announced.

The ABC declined to comment.

Originally published as Sacked journalist Antoinette Lattouf to continue fight against ABC after her complaint was not resolved at a Fair Work Commission meeting

ABC federal politics reporter Nour Haydar resigns from Canberra role over the media organisation’s Israel-Gaza coverage

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

A high-profile political journalist in ABC’s Parliament House bureau has resigned over the national broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Nour Haydar, who joined the ABC as a cadet in 2017 before rising to the ranks as a political reporter in Canberra in 2019, has featured prominently across the broadcaster’s online, radio and TV channels – even hosting Afternoon Briefing and appearing on its flagship breakfast TV program.

She told Nine Entertainment on Friday the decision followed scrutiny from staff at the ABC over the coverage of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, along with its treatment of culturally-diverse staff.

Just hours after her resignation was made public, The Guardian Australia announced she would be joining the left-wing media group as part of its Full Story podcast team.

“I’m excited to be joining the Guardian Australia team and embracing a different type of storytelling,” Haydar said.

“I’m looking forward to crafting high quality and engaging interviews, stories and investigations for Full Story listeners that reflect the diversity of Australia.

“Now more than ever there is a need for rigorous, nuanced and courageous journalism – and Full Story offers a unique platform to do this.”

Haydar will be the co-host of the daily podcast alongside Jane Lee. She is replacing Laura Murphy-Oates, who was chosen for an Atlantic Fellowship for Indigenous Social Equity.

Ms Haydar, 35, who is of Lebanese heritage, resigned from her position in the Parliament House bureau on Thursday

“I have resigned from the ABC. This was not a decision that I made lightly, but one I made with total clarity,” she said.

“Commitment to diversity in the media cannot be skin deep. Culturally diverse staff should be respected and supported even when they challenge the status quo.

“Death and destruction on the scale we have seen over recent months has made me reassess my priorities.”

In a statement on Friday, an ABC spokesperson described the Israel-Gaza conflict as “a difficult story to cover”.

“The ABC News workforce and journalism is the most representative it has ever been, and we’re continuing to progress. Including a range of voices and perspectives makes our journalism better and more accurate,” the spokesperson said

“The Israel-Gaza conflict is a complex and difficulty story to cover and we understand and care about the particular personal and professional challenges it involves for journalists.

“The ABC is committed to accuracy, impartiality and fairness in our Israel-Gaza coverage, as in all our reporting.

“The ABC constantly strives to support and defend ABC employees and their work, internally and externally.”

The move follows a difficult week for the national broadcaster after sacked radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf on Thursday accused the ABC of racism and discriminating against people of colour.

Ms Lattouf, who was dropped from her role in December, has since lodged an unfair dismissal claim with the Fair Work Commission (FWC)

The broadcaster has faced internal criticism after staff raised concerns about the state of the ABC’s “pro-Israel” coverage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas since October 7 last year.

During a meeting in November, initiated by editorial policy manager Mark Maley, staff raised issues around the broadcaster’s refusal to use phrases like “invasion” and “occupation” during their coverage.

Others said the coverage had impacted their relationships with communities and their abilities to do their jobs.

Ms Lattouf, an award-winning journalist who worked as a fill-in host for Sydney’s Mornings radio slot and ABC Sydney in December, is being represented by decorated workplace lawyer Josh Bornstein in her claim against the broadcaster.

Her claim has been amended to allege she was sacked on December 20 “because she expressed a political opinion and also because of her race”.

“Ms Lattouf was summoned to a meeting with senior management and told she was terminated immediately, because she had reposted a Human Rights Watch (HRW) social media post alleging the Israeli government is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza,” a statement from Maurice Blackburn lawyers alleges.

“ABC news also reported these same claims by the reputable human rights organisation.

“Since October 7 and the ensuing conflict in the Middle East, it has become notorious in the media industry that Arab and Muslim journalists are being intimidated, censored and sacked.”

Silence on Hamas violence towards women is shocking

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Ariela Bard articulated what has been clearly apparent for all thoughtful citizens to see, which is essentially the application of a devastatingly parallel universe moral framework when the nation of Israel is concerned (“Feminists fall silent in wake of Hamas barbarity”, 7/12).

As she noted, it is simply extraordinary that leftist and activist feminists – particularly those in the Greens and Labor segments who were so quick to criticise Tony Abbott or Scott Morrison for an innocuous wink or a flippant line – have been silent concerning the brutal sexual transgressions that occurred during the October 7 massacre.

Given the ideological context of the Middle East, one would think that the progressives would look kindly upon the small Jewish state that is essentially the only bastion of genuine freedom, democracy and liberalism in a cauldron of religious rancour. Indeed, where else in this troubled region could you possibly have a gay pride rally openly held and celebrated?

And yet, in some kind of twisted and reverse logic, all manner of ills are being linked to the relative health, success and prosperity of the nation of Israel, while the atrocities of Hamas are either sanitised or justified as some kind of legitimate de-colonial pushback.

In 1971, as ACTU president, Bob Hawke made these remarks: “If the bell tolls for Israel, it won’t just toll for Israel, it will toll for all mankind … Every decent human being must be committed to the viability of Israel.”

How far the so-called champions of morality on the right side of history have indeed fallen from this eloquent ideal!

– Peter Waterhouse, Craigieburn, Vic

The Australian’s coverage of the feminist groups’ silence about the initial October 7 atrocities, especially those directed at women, and now compounded by the newly revealed diabolical details, has been telling.

Some soul-searching is required by those exposed as hypocrites. It should be obvious, as some have claimed, that being Jewish somehow makes the victim of vile aggression less deserving of sympathy and support among some people. They should ask themselves why.

Further, the explicit details of the violence directed toward women by the Hamas terrorists (the breast and genital mutilations) are indicative of the extreme misogyny underlying the nature of the attacks. We should all ask: Where does this come from?

Similarly, as reported, again by The Australian, the silence and inaction by the relevant authorities in relation to known vile hate speech by identified religious leaders and by some “protest” attendees is deplorable.

I consider each of these silences contributes toward a background of implicit condoning of anti-Semitic hatred in the broader community.

– Ron Spielman, Paddington, NSW

Ariela Bard is to be congratulated on her article and The Australian for printing it. I am one of the women who keeps asking, why aren’t the MeToo movement speaking out for these Israeli women? Their silence is deafening and they should be ashamed.

– Sheila Duke, Bulimba, Qld

I thank Ariela Baird for her excellent article. She has voiced what so many have been observing with horror: the shocking silence or denial of the truth of the Hamas attack of October 7 and its ramifications, especially the barbaric violation and murder of women.

The failure of so-called women’s rights groups and some mainstream media to acknowledge these dreadful acts is reprehensible.

– Pam Sackville, Bellevue Hill, NSW

The shocking conspiracy of silence on Hamas barbarism was called out by Ariela Bard.

The nauseating and mind-numbing rape and mutilation of Jewish women by Hamas terrorists echoed many of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis and their allies against Jewish women during World War II.

These too were met with a culpable silence lifted only in the most recent of decades.

The moral clarity inherent in Bard’s article needs to be resolutely replicated, with the continuous and focused calling out of lies, misrepresentations, double standards, weak leadership and inexplicable silence.

– Alan Franklin, St Ives, NSW

STC performer dons Palestinian keffiyeh for her family at curtain call

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

Actor Violette Ayad, who stars in Oil at the Sydney Theatre Company, donned a Palestinian keffiyeh headscarf during the curtain call of the show at the Wharf Theatre on Wednesday night and has vowed to wear it every night of the season.

Ayad, an Australian-born actor with Lebanese and Palestinian parents, has family who have been killed and others who have been displaced in the Gaza conflict. She wore the keffiyeh in solidarity with her Christian Palestinian family.

“When their homes were destroyed, my family took shelter in the oldest Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza, Saint Porphyrius Church; they were in the church when it was hit by an Israeli air strike, which, as you can imagine, was incredibly distressing for all of us,” Ayad said.

“Innocent people, seeking refuge in a church, including members of my extended family, were killed in that strike.”

Her gesture comes on the tail of the controversy when actors Harry Greenwood, Mabel Li and Megan Wilding emerged during the encore on opening night of The Seagull, wearing keffiyehs.

Their November 25 protest at the Roslyn Packer Theatre has embroiled the theatre company in a crisis, with two STC foundation board members resigning, subscribers cancelling tickets and the company cancelling a performance out of a “duty of care” for the performers.

But unlike the actors in the Chekhov classic, who staged their pro-Palestinian protest without consulting the STC or fellow performers, Ayad alerted management of the Walsh Bay theatre company of her actions to honour her family.

“In consultation with STC, Violette Ayad, a Palestinian-Lebanese-Australian cast member in the production Oil, wore her Palestinian keffiyeh during the curtain call,” the theatre company confirmed in a statement.

“The Palestinian keffiyeh has cultural significance to Violette, who has family caught in the current conflict in Gaza and STC respects her choice,” the statement said.

Ayad said her Australian family have not been able to contact their relatives in Palestine because “all communications have been cut off, and we no longer even get updates that they are still alive”.

She said she first wore the keffiyeh during the curtain call on November 21, in the third week of shows.

“I have been wearing it since then, but not for every show. I will be wearing it each night for the remainder of the season,” she said.

“I wear the keffiyeh in the curtain call for our play, Oil, as a simple act of solidarity for my family, and for all Palestinians. I feel that given the indisputable horrors being inflicted upon Palestinian people right now, especially those in Gaza, but also the West Bank, the least I can do is not allow people to forget, to not look away.”

Ayad stars alongside Brooke Satchwell and Charlotte Friels in the play directed by Paige Rattray, which runs until December 16.

The Perth-born Sydney-based NIDA graduate plays the roles of three characters: Anne, who speaks English, Ana, an Iranian who speaks Farsi and English and Aminah, an Iraqi who speaks Arabic and English.

The work, which spans the years from 1889 until 2050, was written by British playwright Ella Hickson in 2016.

Ayad has recently performed at Ensemble Theatre’s Nearer the Gods and Belvoir’s Son of Byblos.