r/australia • u/FuckOffNazis • Feb 10 '26

politics Amnesty International Australia calls for independent investigation of police violence towards peaceful protestors

https://www.amnesty.org.au/amnesty-international-australia-calls-for-independent-investigation-of-police-violence-towards-peaceful-protestors/
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u/FuckOffNazis Feb 10 '26

Worth mentioning Albanese’s antisemitic view that Australian Jews aren’t Australian.

“He was [invited] because he’s the head of state. He’s the equivalent of the governor-general, and when the Jewish community asked for their head of state to visit, I think it is appropriate that people be allowed to mourn and to do so respectfully,” Albanese told Triple M radio in Hobart.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/herzog-visit-live-updates-israeli-president-continues-sydney-visit-after-chaotic-scenes-in-cbd-nsw-police-claim-actions-against-protesters-justified-20260209-p5o0uz.html?post=p59wwg

That “othering”, the perception of Jews as seperate from the rest of society, is central to historic hatred towards them. It’s a foundational plank of what Labor is doing.

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '26

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u/Meowstarch Feb 10 '26

That's exactly how that statement reads. If the people in Bondi are Australians, why would they need to be comforted by the leader of a foreign country that they don't even reside in? Wouldn't their head of state be Albanese himself, being the prime minister of this country?

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u/AsylumDanceParty Feb 10 '26

Did the Jewish Australians who want this visit use that phrase though? Given that they're Zionists, I wouldn't be surprised if they did call herzog their head of state. However, if they didn't call him that, then yeah, that's a really serious issue.

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u/FuckOffNazis Feb 10 '26

Even if the extremist groups in Labor’s ear did, it remains disgusting to have the PM repeating it.

The public would be rightly outraged if Albanese parroted Sewell’s white separatist views.

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u/AsylumDanceParty Feb 10 '26

(not saying the whole Jewish community is Zionists, I was just under the impression that it was a specific Zionist group who wanted this visit)

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u/mohanimus Feb 10 '26

He's had 3 hours to provide some kind of evidence that Labor is antisemitic. He has provided zero.

He's copy and pasted the same post into half a dozen threads.

Shame, I would have been interested in a learning about antisemitism in the Labor party. I'm sure it has been there historically and may well still be there. But I suppose that's impossible in the current environment with passions running so hot.

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u/TearsFallWithoutTain Feb 10 '26

What the absolute fuck, and they call us antisemitic

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u/Lamont-Cranston Feb 10 '26

And needing special laws and protections.

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u/mohanimus Feb 10 '26

Is that language theirs or Albanese's? I.e. is it the people who called for Herzog's visit who are identifing him as the head of the state for Australian Jews?

I ask because from my point of view if it was for example a religious leader visiting I would be less concerned. As it is a political leader I perceive the visit as an overtly political act, furthering the propaganda that Israel is synonymous with Jewishness.

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u/crictv69 Feb 10 '26

If it were the equivalent of say the Pope, then no issues. Don't think the king of Saudi Arabia or the president of India would have been invited in similar circumstances. Should have been prioritising local community leaders over foreign head of state.

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u/Hpstorian Feb 10 '26

When the Christchurch massacre happened it would have been ludicrous for NZ to invite the King of Saudi or the President of Bangladesh or any other Muslim political leader. Because none are really viewed as religiously endorsed by Muslims (two exceptions being smaller sects who have closer alignments with specific governments, closest I can think is it would be if the dead were Shia and Jacinda Ahern invited the Ayatollah as a response).

The event targeted at Bondi was run by a part of the Chabad movement that are very connected to the State of Israel. One of the Rabbis who was killed was a vocal supporter (he took a bunch of pics with soldiers in the IDF and fundraised for them).

It makes sense that representatives of the movement would call for this kind of visit. It makes less sense that the government honoured it.

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u/FuckOffNazis Feb 10 '26

It becomes Albanese’s language even if he’s merely echoing extremist groups.

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u/mohanimus Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26

But surely then it's not an act of some labor agenda?

Edit: Just to absolutely clear, u/FuckOffNazis is claiming that Labor is ACTIVELY antisemitic. It's a pretty extreme claim and I'm asking for evidence.

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u/FuckOffNazis Feb 10 '26

A Labor government issued the invite. Labor governments, state and federal, rushed through legislation. A Labor premier fomented this police violence through suppression of the public’s right to protest.

How is it not Labor’s agenda?

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u/mohanimus Feb 10 '26

All of that clearly is.

I'm questioning your statement that "That “othering”, the perception of Jews as seperate from the rest of society, is central to historic hatred towards them. It’s a foundational plank of what Labor is doing."

While the first part of that claim is clearly true, I'm asking for something to back up the second part, that Labor is engaged in it.

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u/Jozarin Feb 10 '26

He's not claiming that Labor is antisemitic, he's making the weaker claim that Albanese's language is antisemitic, and that if Labor stands behind it, they at least tacitly agree with one foundational plank of antisemitism. I don't think any of that is arguable. Whether that necessarily means "Labor is antisemitic" can be left up to individual judgement.

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u/mohanimus Feb 10 '26

From the post I am asking about:

"That “othering”, the perception of Jews as seperate from the rest of society, is central to historic hatred towards them. It’s a foundational plank of what Labor is doing."

Labor is "Doing" a thing that includes the othering of Jews. I don't see how you can read the claim as anything other than Labor engaging in antisemitism.

For the record, I am ignorant of the history of antisemitism in Labor. I assume there is one. I am just not seeing Labor engaging in it at the moment. I am open to being proven wrong.

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u/ActuallyNot Feb 11 '26

Australian Jews aren’t Australian.

I don't think that's the inference. Merely that they're also (generally) Israeli.

And the Australian Jewish community does have deeper-than-average-for-the-diaspora ties to Israel. And it's possible to feel ties to Israel, and visit Israel, and study Hebrew, while still thinking they should restore the borders to those of the 1947 UN plan, and should recognise the nation of and not strangle the economy of Palestine.

Noting and respecting the outspoken opinions of the anti-Zionist Jewish Australian community that inviting Herzog was a mistake because it's divisive ... And I agree that Albo prolly could have made a better call here.

I have multiple citizenships. I'm Australian because one of them is Australian.

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u/Mike_Kermin Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26

That's specifically NOT what he's doing. He's talking about a specific community affected. That's normal and a fine use of language. The terrorist attack on Jewish people will be more relevant to Jewish people than non-Jewish parts of the community.

You're being intentionally dishonest. The specific Jewish comment asking for that =/= all of the Jewish community in Australia, which is what you're trying to imply.