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A protest outside Sydney Opera House in the days after the October 7 attack on Israel was a “critical moment” in the rise of anti-Semitism in Australia, a Senate estimates hearing has been told.
Australia’s Special Envoy on Antisemitism Jillian Segal told the hearing on Thursday the nation could have taken a “different trajectory” if the October 9 protest had been dealt with differently.
Hundreds of people marched outside the world-famous landmark days after Hamas’ surprise attack which killed 1200 people, and Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza, some chanting “hateful things” about Jews, Ms Segal said.
While Ms Segal acknowledged dispute over allegations people chanted “gas the Jews”, she said the protest was “clearly a moment where there was hatred expressed to the Jewish community”.
“If it had been stopped and people had said ‘this is unacceptable’, and the police instead of protecting those protesters had indeed taken them, even if not arresting them, but asked them to move on,” Ms Segal.
“If there had been a completely different policing approach, I do think it would have sent a very different message and possibly a different trajectory.
“As I say, you … can’t look backwards, but I do see and I think the Jewish community generally, when I’ve spoken to them about it, they see that as a critical moment.”
Ms Segal told the hearing the rise of anti-Semitism in the wake of the October 7 attack “was something that took this country a little bit by surprise”, and that her hope was to “move anti-Semitism to the margins”.
“We were caught up in our enjoyment of the freedoms and the Australian values and multiculturalism, and perhaps we’re not as aware of the issue until it really became an issue for us,” Ms Segal said.
Earlier this month, the ABC and SBS said they would not adopt the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.
Ms Segal said that decision was “obviously not consistent with what I have recommended”.
“I’m hopeful that, with further discussion, we can talk to the ABC and SBS,” she said.
“I have had various meetings with them, but so far I haven’t managed to convince them about it, about these issues.
“But, you know, I do think that it’s important that the ABC and SBS understand their important role in this country.”
As for anti-Semitism training in the public service, Ms Segal said it was her expectation the training, which is being trialled, would be primarily for senior members of the APS.
“I’d much rather it was meaningful to their role,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s a one size fits all approach, so the anti-Semitism knowledge needs to be either more in depth or less in depth.”
She said she expected a “significant” number of public servants would undertake the training.
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