- by Peter Farmer
- The Guardian
- Issue #2166
At the pro-Israel Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism this September, councillors from across Australia were given a ‘Local government Antisemitism Action Plan.’ According to Deepcut, the plan could cost at least $730,000 for a council to implement.
The plan calls for councils to collect data on “antisemitic incidents” as defined by the group behind the “summit.” It also asks for councils to adopt the contentious International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. That definition includes as ‘examples’ of antisemitism, several forms of criticism of Israel and its actions.
Councillor Owen Cosgriff at the City of Greater Bendigo told Deepcut that the IHRA definition of antisemitism is “pretty plainly … designed to restrict criticism of the state of Israel.”
Cr Rhonda Garad from Melbourne’s City of Greater Dandenong identifed the cost of implementing the action plan at $736,000.
A leaflet given out at the Mayors Summit claimed that watermelons as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinian people as antisemitic.
Max Kaiser, executive officer at the Jewish Council of Australia, said that attendees who pretended that the conference was “anything but an anti-Palestinian hatefest” should be ashamed of themselves.
