Hate speech complaint against high-profile broadcaster

Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, has lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission against former SBS newsreader Mary Kostakidis.

Cassuto, who is a joint citizen of Australia and Israel, is alleging that by sharing a speech by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Kostakidis disseminated hate speech that violates Australian law.

The complaint relates to a televised speech delivered in Beirut earlier this year when Nasrallah, head of the proscribed terrorist organisation, celebrated the October 7 Hamas massacre and called for the ethnic cleansing of Jews “from the river to the sea”.

Addressing Jewish Israelis, he said “Here, it’s going to be very difficult for you. If you want to be secure, if you want to feel secure, you have an American passport, go back to the United States. You have a British passport, go back to the UK.  Here you don’t have a future, from the river to the sea the land of Palestine is for the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian people only.”

Mary Kostakidis republished this speech twice on social media, adding her endoresement. 

Casutto is alleging Kostakidis' action violates Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act which proscribes offensive behaviour because of race, colour or national or ethnic origin, including behaviour which is "reasonably likely" to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people".

“For the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, this rally cry is not a call for peace or equality – he means the ethnic cleansing of the seven million Jews who live between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”, said Cassuto.

“It is irresponsible and dangerous for a person with Mary Kostakidis’ influence and authority to repeat calls by a terrorist for Jews to be ethnically cleansed ‘from the river to the sea’. This conduct reproduces an overseas conflict in Australia and is unacceptable.”