NSW Young Greens decline AUJS invitations
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students invited members the NSW Young Greens to a meeting with bipartisan young political staffers at the NSW Parliament.But co-convener of the NSW Young Greens Kleon Toffetti confirmed to the Daily Telegraph “We have a longstanding position of not supporting this organisation because … they support the occupation of Palestine illegally.”
Isabella Polgar and AUJS’s Mickey Fisher
The Telegraph wrote in an email: “It is true that NSWYG have a history of not engaging with AUJS, and I expect that this will continue for the foreseeable future.”
A spokesperson for Greens leader Richard di Natale told J-Wire: “The NSW Young Greens are an independent body and we have nothing to do with them. They exercise total independence and in general their views do necessarily reflect ours.”
In a joint statement Isabelle Polgar and Ariel Zohar of AUJS said: “The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) is angered and disappointed that the NSW Young Greens have informed AUJS it is their official policy to boycott Jewish students. AUJS, the peak representative body of thousands of Jewish tertiary students across Australia and New Zealand, is a pluralistic organisation committed to engaging Jewish students with political parties and activists across the spectrum.
Kleon Toffetti Photo: Facebook
The fact that the NSW Young Greens have chosen to boycott an opportunity to engage with Jewish students on account of their mistaken beliefs about AUJS’ attitudes towards foreign policy speaks volumes of their problematic attitudes towards the Jewish community.
To reduce Australian Jews entirely to their political perspectives on a conflict occurring overseas, and to erroneously pigeonhole the entire Jewish student community as ‘support(ing) the occupation of Palestine’ demonstrates the deep, systematic prejudices which pervade the NSW Young Greens.
This is in line with the far-left trend where hatred for Israel is so strong that it can result in the antisemitic effect where the Jewish community is boycotted for the supposed crime of self-defining its cultural, ethnic and national identity.
We are deeply concerned that the youth wing of the NSW Greens has a policy of refusing to engage with Jewish students. This makes a mockery of the Greens’ recent support for diversity and multiculturalism in the context of the 18C debate.
We hope the NSW Young Greens are swiftly and clearly condemned by the senior party to avoid any suggestion that the Young Greens contempt for the Jewish community is shared by the senior leadership.
AUJS calls on the Leader of the Australian Greens, Richard Di Natale, to unequivocally condemn the executive of the NSW Young Greens and clarify that the Australian Greens want nothing to do with boycotts of the Jewish community.
It is inconceivable that these young leaders could one day become future leaders of the Greens.”
J-Wire contacted Kleon Toffetti who responded: “I will be declining any further comment, or engaging with any media around this.”
Dimitri Lascalis,
The AUJS probably doesn’t consider it an ‘occupation’, because it isn’t. Read some history and get your facts straight.
To use the Leftist accusation that is thrown at us all the time why would AUJS ‘give a platform’ to the anti-Semitic Greens in the first place? ……. and then go home with their head between their tails crying to mommy or anyone that will listen ‘ ‘they don’t want to play with us ‘… pathetic and in my view lacking in self-respect!
Of what thease people refuse to believe is that Israel has been the home of the Jews [ISRAELITES] for over 4000 years and palestinians were only created by the then Roman empire to try and force the JEWS INTO SUBMISSION BY ANOTHER PEOPLE The palestinians have no RIGHTS to the land of ISRAEL WHATSOEVER
Predictably, this article is full of invective against the Young Greens, yet it fails to clarify the position of the AUJS on the occupation. The article quotes an AUJS statement which condemns the Young Greens for ‘pigeonholing’ its members as being supporters of the occupation, but the statement of the AUJS does not say what the organization’s position on the occupation actually is. Does the AUJS condemn the occupation or doesn’t it? If it condemns the occupation, why does it not say so in its statement condemning the Young Greens? The occupation is an affront to humanity and a deeply racist enterprise. If the AUJS is truly the “pluralistic” organization that it claims to me, it should have no difficulty whatsoever in condemning the occupation.
Clearly the occupation of Jewish lands by arabs in Judea and Shomron is an affront to most Jews, what is it that is not understood, there is nothing further to explain.
wrong Dimitri.
Do not attempt to distract from the issue.It is not the “position ” of the AUJS which is on display the rampant antisemitism of the Greens.
The Greens claim to “embrace all communities” as per Fiona Byrne of former Marrickville infame, …al communities ofcourse except the Jewish community.
I wonder how it would play out Dimitri, if we just replaced “Jewish” with ” Muslim” or “Arab”—would the Greens then dare to show their racism to the Australian Union of Muslim Students, or Arab Students?
Own what you are Greens—antisemitic, racist , totalitarian and hypocritical.
Lee Rhiannon is so proud of you!
John, you make Ken Livingston a model of virtue and Mark Latham reasonable…
Regards.a
Good heavens, Samuel Terry, that is hardly the point!!
Richard di Natale’s failure to condemn the stance of these juveniles is all too eloquent.
Time to play the Greens’ song, specially written in their honour by a NSW resident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=yHPe04ZrVGY
Classic straw man argument being played out here. What is the position of AUJS of the illegal occupation of the West Bank?
“because … they support the occupation of Palestine illegally.”
And this from a group of University students!!!
Wouldn’t you think they would have the wit to read some of the factual history before launching into such absurdity.
“palestine” is a name invented by the Romans over 2,000 years ago!
“palestinians” were a figment of Yassar Arafat’s imagination!
Israel has been in occupation of that land for over 3,500 years!
If you want to pick a fight with someone about this you might try locating some Canaanites!!!
Get a life young greens, concentrate on getting some sense into Australian parliamentarians!
Hopefully the young bigoted Greens is not whats to be infilinfiiutratef in Australian politicsHow does one have an intelligent discussion when one side is not interested in hearing, is their anti Semitism so deeply rooted. ???
I have not posted this before
Racist, Antisemitic, Arrogant, Ignorant, Totalitarian, and rampantly HYPOCRITICAL , our own NSW cuddly Greens………….take a bow…..they have learnt nothing since Marrickville.
Why invite anti-semites to a Jewish function, there is no hope for their poisoned minds to see the light. Their warped young minds can only grow up to become future Jeremy Corbyns.
David
It is disappointing that so few have made this point, the AUJS leadership are immature and quite frankly not very street smart. Is it any wonder AUJS are no competition for the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, Socialists on Campus.
No surprises here, it happened with the Hitler youth and it’s happening with the Greens.
In the Young Greens statement, as published by JWire, there is no mention of Israel nor Jews, only “the occupation”. So, surely, if the AUJs were to state their position on that subject, there is the possibility of diaglogue..
Regards.
Samuel, Who would they say is responsible for “the occupation”? Your suggestion is totally impractical.
The Greens must be referring to the illegal occupation of West Papua by Indonesia.
Why should they state their position first – isn’t this what the dialogue is supposed to be about?
The Greens seem to be inspired by the Palestinian Authority and Mr Abbas – no discussions without a string of pre-conditions.
Ofcourse Samuel Terry—–no mention of Israel or the Jews…..come off it…stop playing doodle games—-and that is why the Greens will have no contact with students who are Jewish??
When a rat looks like a rat, squeaks like a rat, crawls like a rat….it aint an elephant!!!
Dialogue with whom, BDS ?