ECAJ calls for an apology from Melissa Parke
A former Labor MP told a rally that she had quit last month’s election “because of the media storm around previous statements I’ve made about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians” prompting a heckler to shout at her “you have to f—ing wipe them out”.
Melissa Parke
Melissa Parke was originally standing for the safe Liberal seat of Curtin in Perth.
The West Australian newspaper reported that the unidentified man accused her of “caving-in to Zionist arseholes”.
According to the West Australian, Parke told a pro-Palestinian rally: “Let me say to you all today, I stand by every word in those statements.
I withdrew from the election – and I don’t blame the ALP leadership for this – there was an ongoing campaign against me and against the party that would have gone on continuously during the federal election campaign had I not resigned.
It was a stated intent from very powerful media interests in this country that they were going to – and they told the ALP this – they were going to continue that campaign until I was gone.”
She added: “It is not wrong to say the Israel lobby has excessive influence in the Australian political system assisted by powerful media operators. Look at how I was removed from the election campaign.”
The ECAJ has Melissa Parke to apologise for her statements.
The co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry Peter Wertheim said: “How ironic that Ms Parke should give voice to these all-too-familiar conspiracy theories on the very day that Australia became a full member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The IHRA has a Working Definition of Antisemitism that includes making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions”. I
t does not seem to have occurred to Ms Parke that many people agree with us about various issues because of the merits of our arguments, not because of some imaginary conspiracy or undue influence. Whether she is aware of it or not, these sorts of outrageous allegations, where no supporting evidence has been produced, send a signal that expressions of racism, including antisemitism, are acceptable in our society, and thereby open the door to racially-motivated violence. Parke should withdraw her comments and apologise.”
Melissa Parke told the Western Australian regarding the heckler: “He seemed to be annoyed that I had stepped down as a candidate, was my impression from what he said, but I was trying to keep speaking rather than speaking to him. I don’t support that kind of language at all.”
As they say in the classics “ In every generation there will be antisemites”