- The Guardian
- Issue #2199
A lot of Australians have left uni and put it behind them. Even more people never went. A lot of people don’t watch the ABC or SBS. Why should they be fussed about threats to these institutions and the people who study at uni?
Here’s why. It won’t stop there.
Australia is having a Royal Commission into the murderous attack at Bondi. 16 people were killed and 41 people were injured. Countless others will be affected for the rest of their lives. The government set up a Royal Commission into the attack.
You’d hope the Royal Commission would take the attack seriously, but it’s gone way off course, allowing Australia’s Zionist ‘Anti-semitism Envoy’ to go on at length about her favourite topic, suppression of anti-Israel protest. She’s going after universities and the country’s public broadcasters. Never mind that the alleged attackers were inspired by Islamic State ideology and have no known connection to any protests at universities. Never mind that there’s no record of them being radicalised by watching reporting of Israel’s assault on Palestine on the ABC or SBS.
Segal, by the way, couldn’t cite any instances of ABC coverage being anti-semitic. She just muttered that it was well-known around the Jewish community, by which she means the segment of the Jewish community she’s comfortable with. Evidence isn’t Segal’s strong point.
Segal and her fellow Zionists want the ABC and SBS muzzled and fearful on the topic of Israel. They want universities to adopt a definition of antisemitism, the IHRA definition, which includes criticism of Israel among examples of anti-Jewish hatred. The definition allows for ‘reasonable criticism’ of Israel, but really one-eyed Israel supporters like Segal get to decide that’s reasonable and what’s antisemitic.
So they’re trying to make life hard for any uni students who protest an ongoing genocide, one in which the Australian taxpayer is implicated. If you’re not at uni, why should you care?
You should care because Segal’s crusade to outlaw protest won’t stop there, and Australian governments are in the mood to help her. We should all care because Australia is implicated in the genocide, through generous contracts with Israeli military companies, and through our involvement in the weapons chains that produce the weapons Israel uses.
Already, Australia’s 450,000 registered nurses and midwives have to be careful what they say and where they say it. That’s because the licensing authority that certifies them has adopted the contentious IHRA definition. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is already hard stretched to do its job, but it’s about to face a wave of complaints from Australian Zionists who make it their business to get people sacked for opposing Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians.
These groups don’t particularly care who they attack – writers’ festivals, journalists, an Australian of the Year – anyone who stands with Palestine is fair game. It’s not really about antisemitism. Segal had nothing to say about a demonstration by neo-nazis in NSW. They even held up a big sign about Jews. The antisemitism Envoy sounded embarrassed when asked about it later.
What Segal’s mates do care about is power. They want to make Australians afraid to speak up.
Segal isn’t about really stopping antisemitism or ‘hatred.’ It’s about suppressing protest in the interests of Israeli Zionism.
Certainly, it’s not stopping with universities.
