Antisemitism Report 2009 - World Jewish Congress

1.1 The Year in Review
In Australia in 2009, to accuse any person or organisation of antisemitism is to allege that
their behaviour is antisocial and unacceptable. No one with aspirations to public credibility
admits to holding antisemitic views or to associating with openly antisemitic organisations.
While individuals and organisations associated with the political left who promote extreme
anti-Israeli racism, which sometimes included offensive and gratuitous anti-Jewish imagery,
are keen to assert that they are not antisemitic, even some far-right and neo-Nazi groups
publicly profess to be "anti-Zionist" rather than anti-Jewish, although the material they
distribute can give the lie to any such distinction. Further, Holocaust deniers, including
those who allege that the Holocaust is a Jewish confidence trick played on gullible
Christians as one part of a raft of anti-Jewish slurs, generally claim they are only
"researching" historical subjects.
In the Australian mass media, professional journalists occasionally, but rarely, crossed the
line between political commentary and anti-Jewish slander, in discussions of Israel and/or
the alleged strength of ―Jewish lobbies‖ in both the USA and Australia. However, during
December 2008/January 2009 in particular, when Israel was fighting HAMAS in Gaza,
contributors of letters and comments on blogs maintained by mainstream media outlets often
engaged in thinly-veiled or overt antisemitic rhetoric.
Antisemitism emanating from Islamic sources in Australia has been a topic of public
discussion for a number of years. Particular concerns, in the period in review, have been
expressed at the negative impact of material from a variety of overseas sources which has as
its thesis an eternal enmity of Muslims towards Jews and at the adoption of far-left political
attacks on Jews and Israel which become incorporated in to broad Muslim discourse.
Public discussion on the extradition request by Hungary to Australia for alleged Nazi War
Criminal Charles Zentai, Australia‘s decision not to participate in the UN Durban Review
Conference and the Federal Court contempt hearing process against Fredrick Toben was
essentially reasoned and reasonable, despite efforts by some organised political and other
anti-Israel groups, as well as a small number of media commentators.
Between 1 October 2008 and 30 September 2009, the database assembled and maintained by
the author of this report since 1989 included over 960 reports of anti-Jewish violence,
vandalism, harassment and intimidation, the highest tally ever recorded and close to three
times the average of the previous 19 years. Anti-Jewish propaganda in fringe publications
and from extremist organisations remained an ongoing concern. Conspiracy theories
abounded on the internet and these included a disturbing proportion which were overtly or
implicitly antisemitic.
Although no new complaints of racial vilification were launched under the Federal Racial
Hatred Act, the Federal Court found Fredrick Toben to be in breach of orders and in
contempt of court, after he continued to publish Holocaust denial, and he began a three
month prison term in August 2009.
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