High-profile broadcaster apologises for hate speech

Former SBS newsreader Mary Kostakidis has apologised for her role in disseminating antisemitic hate speech last year.

The apology follows a complaint lodged by Zionist Federation of Australia CEO Alon Cassuto with the Australian Human Rights Commission in July 2024, which related to the high-profile journalist sharing a call by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for Jews to be ethnically cleansed “from the river to the sea”.

In a statement released on X on January 3, Cassuto said “Ms Kostakidis apologised for the hurt she caused and acknowledged that the content of Nasrallah’s speech she reposted was antisemitic.”

“Let’s be clear about what Ms Kostakidis’ statement does say: when Hassan Nasrallah declared, ‘Here you don’t have a future. From the river to the sea, Palestine is for the Palestinians only’, it was antisemitic hate speech. Echoing such calls in Australia constitutes unlawful hate speech.”

Cassuto lodged the complaint for three key reasons: to force Kostakidis to acknowledge and apologise for the wrong done to the Jewish community; to create a deterence for sharing hate speech and propaganda from terrorist organisations; and to stop the erosion of social cohesion and Australian values.

He believes reposting rhetoric from Hezbollah – a proscribed terrorist organisation – violates Australian law, specifically Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits offensive behaviour because of race, colour, or national or ethnic origin.

However, Cassuto remains sceptical of Kostakidis’ intentions, adding that her apology came while she was “continuing to regularly post deeply offensive content, including conspiracy theories about the firebombed Adass synagogue in Melbourne”.

According to Cassuto, Kostakidis has shared other propaganda with her 40,500 X followers since the October 7 massacre, including a Hamas pamphlet that sought to justify the attack, and additional conspiracy theories which deny Hamas' systematic use of rape and sexual violence.

As a result, Cassuto says he is “considering [his] options”, reaffirming his commitment to confronting antisemitism and holding those using hate speech to account.