Antisemitism report targets unis, arts bodies, charities that tolerate hate

Australia’s antisemitism envoy has focussed on education as the centrepiece of her long-awaited strategy, among a large raft of often controversial proposals, to combat the rise in anti-Jewish violence and hate speech since Hamas’s brutal attacks on October 7, 2023.

In a landmark report released today, Jillian Segal’s proposals include embedding Holocaust and antisemitism education in the national school curricula, and setting up a project “to support trusted voices” to publicly refute antisemitic views, particularly via social media platforms.

“Education is central,” Segal said at a media conference to launch the report. “It shapes not only what young Australians know, but how they think and how they treat others.”

The report also puts forward several controversial measures in the education, arts and philanthropy sectors. They include:

On the migration front, the report also proposes screening visa applicants for antisemitic views or affiliations, and that non-citizens involved in antisemitism in Australia “should face visa cancellation and removal from Australia”.

“Antisemitism in Australia has reached a tipping point that threatens social harmony, undermines trust in institutions and marginalises Jewish Australian citizens,” Segal writes in the report. “[It] is not just a threat to Jews; it attacks the foundation of our nation; the fairness, equality and respect we have for one another.”