Anti-Semitism up 21%

In his report covering the 12 months’ period ending on September 30, 2013, Jeremy Jones has reported 657 incidents defined by the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission as “racist violence” against Jews.

The figure reflects a 21% increase over the previous year and a 69% increase over the average of the previous 23 years.

Although the second highest figure ever recorded, serious physical attacks were at their lowest in eight years.

Incidents included physical assault, vandalism, threatening phone calls, hate mail, graffiti, leaflets, posters and abusive and intimidatory electronic mail.

Jones has made it clear that incidents based on criticism of Israel or references to Australian Jewry’s involvement in politics were not taken into account.

Fredrick  Toben  loses  defamation  case  taken  against Jeremy Jones, broadly relating to discussion of Dr Toben’s dissemination of material found to be unlawful  due  to  its  content  relating  to  Jews  (Oct.  2012);

the  annual  gathering  of  far  right-wing  groups  at  the  Sydney  Forum  (Oct.  2012);

the  participation  of  known  extreme  rightwing  antisemit es at the  Gaza Solidarity Rally Sydney (Nov. 2012);

cartoonist Leunig’s defence of Nazi/Jewish comparisons (Dec. 2012);

with the initial calling of the 2013 Federal Election  on  the  Jewish  Holy  Day  of    Yom  Kippur,  Jews  were  accused  of  “whinging”  for raising this as a concern (Jan. 2013);

The tragic story of Ben Zygier, an Australia/Israeli dual citizen who died in an Israeli prison, was used as a pretext by antisemites to accuse Jews in Australia  of  disloyalty  (  Feb.  201

Call  to  “eliminate”  Jews  in  song,  in  Arabic,  on  ABC Radio (Feb. 2013);

The promotion of far left elements of  Shlomo Sand’s denial of Jewish peoplehood (Feb. 2013);

Active promotion by extreme left wing groups of the slur that Israel practices  Apartheid  (Feb.  2013);

the  appointment  of  a  Jewish  Australian,  Mark  Dreyfus,  as Attorney General (Feb. 2013); Claims in “New Age” journal “Hard Evidence” that Jews were responsible  for  the    9/11  terrorist  attacks  (Mar-April 2013);

Presence of Greek “Golden Dawn” in  Melbourne  and  Sydney  (Mar  2013);

A  Sydney  lecture  by  anti-Jewish  Muslim

Preacher  Musa  Cerantonio  lecture  (Mar  2013);  A  sermon,  promoted  on  social  media,  given by an Adelaide Muslim cleric, attacking Hindus and Jews (March 2013);

The Arrest of Nazi War Criminals (eg in Germany in May 2013);

A speech in the NSW Parliament by an upper house ALP MP in which he rationalised extreme anti-Israel prejudice (May 2013); the broad

Public  support  by  Australian  politicians  for  the  London  Declaration  opposing  antisemitism (May 2013); Antisemitism  in the newspaper of the Australian national University’s  religion series (May 2013);

On-going boycotts of Max Brenner coffee/chocolate outlets (May 2013);

Islamic  Bookstore  in  Sydney  (Al-Risalah)  gaining  international  attention  for  promotion  of extremist  literature  (June  2013);  Al  Quds  Day,  in    Sydney  and  Melbourne,  scene  of  anti- Semitism on Social media and at rallies (August 2013);

Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer’s inclusion of anti-Jewish slurs in a book about his  time as Australia’s Ambassador to the  Holy  See  (August  2013);

The  election  of  Tony  Abbott  as  Prime  Minister,  according  to some  Muslim and far-right wing commentators the result of Jewish power (Sept. 2013).