Where are the Jewish voices when an Aboriginal boy is killed?

Jews are quick to respond to antisemitism but too often silent about other racist attacks, writes GEORGE NEWHOUSE. 

WARNING: This article contains details of a violent death and the name of a First Nations child who is now deceased.

A man was charged with murder this week after a 15-year-old Aboriginal boy died from head injuries sustained in a brutal, unprovoked and probably racist attack.

Police in Western Australia say the young boy was bashed with a metal pole by a man who did not know him. Witnesses report hearing racist taunts before the attack.

Teenager Cassius Turvey was a “vibrant, caring jokester” who loved school, family and his mates, according to his mother, Noongar-Yamatji woman Mechelle Turvey.

He was walking home from school with a group of his friends when a 21-year-old man allegedly got out of a black ute and attacked him. His family believe that Cassius was targeted because of his race.

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch has attempted to downplay the influence of racism in the attack.

“It may be a case of mistaken identity, it may be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I would not want anyone in the community to jump to any conclusions at this time,” he said.

Perhaps the Commissioner could have gone on to explain when is the right time and place for the murder of a 15-year-old Aboriginal child?

It seems disingenuous, if not dangerous, to dismiss the issue of race when witnesses heard racist taunts and there is no other known reason for the attack. Why did the accused man identify an Aboriginal child in a school uniform as the target for a bashing? It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that his appearance as an Aboriginal boy made him vulnerable.

If Cassius had been wearing a Jewish school uniform, I suspect Jewish leaders would have been quick to attribute the motivation of the attacker to antisemitism.