October 7 and the tsunami of anti-Jewish hate      

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There is a long-standing perception that anti-Jewish racism stems predominantly from the far right and from those of European ethnicity.

Julie Nathan

There is a historical basis for this and a continuing convenience to maintain this narrative by those who seek to divert attention away from other sources of anti-Jewish racism. However, to effectively counter anti-Jewish racism, we need to acknowledge where the threats and attacks are coming from, regardless of the source. This has become particularly relevant and urgent since October 7.

In Australia, a 2016 study of the ethnicity of perpetrators of physical assault and verbal abuse against Jews (note, only 47% of such incidents identified the ethnicity of the perpetrators), found that at that time people of ethnic-European and Middle Eastern backgrounds were predominantly responsible in near equal proportions, at 47% and 43% respectively, for physical assault and verbal abuse against Jews in Australia.

A 2017 study of anti-Jewish incidents in Australia found that the extreme far right (ie neo-Nazis/white supremacists) were disproportionally responsible for 22% (comprised predominantly of posters and stickers) of all anti-Jewish incidents. Note, this was during the peak of activity by the neo-Nazi group, Antipodean Resistance.

In addition, over the years, there has been plenty of evidence showing that the hard left has harboured anti-Jewish sentiment but has cloaked much of it in anti-Israel or anti-Zionist rhetoric, which was often expressed under the mantra of anti-racism, human rights, and equality.

Since the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas and other Gazan Palestinians (military and civilian) in southern Israel, in which some 1200 people were murdered (burned, raped, dismembered, tortured and mutilated before being killed), and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war, the situation has dramatically changed in Australia and across the world.

The anti-Jewish racism and incidents are not generally coming from the neo-Nazis and other far-right groups, although these sources remain a serious threat to Jews. Neo-Nazis still view Jews as an existential threat to ‘Aryan’ supremacy and still aim to exterminate Jews around the world, but they lack any widespread support and lack any political or institutional power to promote their ideology and agenda.

Those who do have the political or institutional power to promote their ideology and agenda are those on the hard left. Their ideas have weaved their way into the mainstream of Western society. The anti-Jewish racism is coming from activists within mainstream institutions, such as universities, the arts and entertainment industry, so-called ‘influencers’, and the like, and even elements with parliaments.

In general, right-wing antisemitism is overt but marginalised; left-wing antisemitism is insidious but mainstreamed.

Within Institutions

Within mainstream institutions, there are anti-Israel activists who are advocating and promoting extremist agendas – agendas which create an atmosphere hostile to Jews. This is occurring within public schools by teachers, within universities, within the arts and cultural sector, by health professionals including doctors and nurses, in public transport in trains and taxis, in businesses by employees – publicly voicing, either directly or indirectly, their support for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel and/or demonising Jews who defend Israel’s existence.

The atmosphere of fanatical hatred against anyone who supports the existence of the Jewish State of Israel is pervasive and intimidating. Anti-Jewish racists are no longer watching their words. It is now acceptable to say racist things against Jews, to demonise Jews, to accuse them collectively of supporting apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide. The effect will be to condemn Jews to pariah status, to be considered fair game, to be targeted for violence. This is how the mass slaughter of civilians often begins.

October 7 was one thing. But something else happened – throughout the world, there were celebrations and glorification of the killing of Jews expressed by many Arabs, Muslims and their left-wing allies, so-called ‘progressives’. The incidents of anti-Jewish racism and hate crime rose dramatically around the world. This was usually done under the guise of anti-Zionism or ‘pro-Palestine’ activism, and began straight after the massacre, even before Israel took any military action against Hamas.

The protest outside the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2023, where chants of “Fuck the Jews!”, “Gas the Jews!” and “Where’s the Jews?” were heard, was planned and publicly advertised by Palestine Action Group Sydney on 7 October at 8.04pm while the Hamas murder of Jews was still going on.

There has been a pattern of behaviour over many years that when there is conflict or war in the Middle East, whether involving Israel or not, the festering sore of anti-Jewish racism is opened up and there is a spike in incidents targeting Jews across the world. This time, after October 7, as though the Jew-haters were not satiated by the spilling of enough Jewish blood, or perhaps due to a sentiment that October 7 was a green light, the number of incidents, the open hatred, exploded like a volcano.

On the streets

An early indication of how things would pan out occurred on the streets of Lakemba in western Sydney on 8 October 2023, one day after the massacre in Israel. Sheikh Ibrahim Daoud, addressed a large protest rally organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir, glorifying the murder of Jews in Israel, and shouted to the crowd: “I’m smiling and I’m happy. I’m elated. It’s a day of courage, it’s a day of resistance, it’s a day of pride, it’s a day of victory. This is the day we’ve been waiting for.”

Others too publicly glorified the massacre and were exhilarated by it. October 7 was seen by many as a great victory, as the start of a renewed Islamic war against Israel, and indeed against Jews around the world. Since then, others have echoed the call to kill Jews, while others declare the global Islamic victory against the kuffar, the non-Muslims, to be on its way.

A man at an anti-Israel protest in Hyde Park, Sydney, shouted out “Allahu Akbar. Get the fucking Jews wiped out! … I’m a Muslim…” (15 Oct. 2023). A police officer told him he had a right to say what he did but that it was an offence to swear in public. The man was later charged with using offensive language (‘fucking’) in a public place, but not for advocating violence.

At another anti-Israel protest, in Melbourne, a man yelled out ”Death to every Israeli!”, then two other protesters went up to him and clapped his hand in approval (15 Oct. 2023).

Several Muslim clerics and imams in Sydney used the massacre to preach hatred of Jews or to praise Hamas and jihad. Some examples include: “Oh Allah … beat the Zionist Jews. … Oh Allah, we hope you count them and kill them one by one.” (24 Nov. 2023); “The most important characteristics of the Jews is that they are bloodthirsty. … Oh Muslims, servants of Allah, betrayal and treachery are among the characteristics of the Jews.” (22 Dec. 2023); and “Now these kuffar, these worshippers of Iblis (Satan), yes, the descendants of pigs and monkeys” (29 Dec. 2023). In the Quran (2.63-65[1], 5.59-60[2], 7.163-166[3]), Jews are described as having been turned into pigs and apes, and this is regurgitated by extremist Muslims who refer to Jews as the descendants of pigs and apes

The President of the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), Adel Salman, at an anti-Israel rally in Melbourne (15 Oct. 2023) stated: “we must differentiate between legitimate resistance actions, and everything that has happened is a legitimate response to occupation and siege.” In an ABC radio interview (28 Feb. 2024), Adel Salman said “What we don’t denounce, very clearly, is legitimate acts of resistance  and for the Palestinians to rise up on October 7 and say ‘we are no longer going to tolerate this siege, this occupation,’ that is legitimate.”

The President of Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), Nasser Mashni, who has criminal convictions for kidnapping, violence and threatening behaviour, has refused to condemn Hamas and the October 7 massacre. He opposed the Australian government’s listing of Hamas as a terrorist group. He openly supports the obliteration of Israel and holds conspiratorial views about Zionism. Even before October 7, Mashni referred to Jews as ”filthy zios”.

On his radio show on 3CR in July 2023, Mashni said: “The power structures that exist in the world all focus upon Zionism. … Israel is the domino. Israel falls over … The liberation of Earth starts with the first domino, and that’s the overcoming and the decolonisation of Palestine and the ending of Zionism.”

In an interview on Turkish media on 31 July 2024, Mashni stated “Israel is a rogue genocidal state hellbent on taking the world to the world war 3. That it doesn’t belong, the genocidal apartheid Israel does not belong amongst the nation of nations, doesn’t belong in the UN. Apartheid Israel has to cease to exist.”

Mashni has led the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during his speeches at many anti-Israel protests in Melbourne in 2023 and 2024.

The founder of the “Sit-Intifada”, on the steps of the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne, publicly told a Jewish woman: “7 of October is the bloody beginning of it. You’re going to have plenty of 7th of Octobers coming. Plenty of it. And the next 7th of October is gonna be to kick your ass out” (6 May 2024). At a protest the next day, he stated: “I’ll say it again, the October 7 happened because the occupation, because oppression, it’s a legitimate resistance. And a lot more to come [cheers from the crowd], a lot more to come until we liberate Palestine, next time we come from Jordan, from Egypt, from Lebanon, from Syria, all together, another October the 7. Resistance is our right.”

An anti-Israel protest leader in Melbourne, Mohammad Sharab, has publicly stated: “Long live the Resistance. Long live fucking Hamas. Fucking Zionists. … All Zionists are terrorists. … Zionism is absolutely terrorism. … then 7 October came … waking all of us up … some form of respect and gratitude and a big thank you that needs to be paid to the Resistance. Long live the Resistance. Long live fucking Hamas” (3 July 2024).

Anti-Israel protesters, in chants or placards, have been calling for “Intifada Intifada” (the bombing of buses, cafes and other public places, as occurred in the Palestinian intifada of 2000-2005);  “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” (the elimination of the state of Israel and all Jews from the southern Levant region); “Resistance is Justified, resistance by any means” (thus justifying the massacre of civilians); and “Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud, jaish Muhammad soufa ya’oud” (”Khaybar Khaybar oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return” which refers to a massacre of Jews by Muslims at Khaybar in 628 CE, and used as a war-cry to threaten and attack Jews). None of those involved have faced repercussions. The street protests are a major manifestation of this open Jew-hatred and calls for violence.

A new era

We have entered a new era where violence against a segment of the society is encouraged and exhorted with impunity. Several Muslim clerics in Sydney and protest leaders are preaching to kill Jews, and calling for violence against Jews, and yet no law has been deemed to be breached, despite a plethora of race-hate and anti-incitement laws. Street protesters call for the annihilation of Israel and for the murder of Jews. Threats of violence, physical intimidation and assaults of Jews have become all too common.

Places of learning, schools and universities, and places of the arts and culture, places of work, and other public places have become places for the dissemination of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hate propaganda. Our society is becoming like a worm-infested apple.

This explosion of anti-Jewish hate and incidents seems to have taken governments, police and others by surprise, as they seem to be at a loss on how to respond to the outpouring of hate against Jews and Israel that was occurring on the streets in their cities. Police appear unable or unwilling to make the necessary arrests, apart from a few. NSW Police have admitted that they will not lay charges against Muslim clerics who have advocated violence against Jews or called for the killing of Jews – somehow, they say, it does not breach any race-hate laws.

Government politicians appear timid and in fear of upsetting sections of their electorates. Political considerations seem to have trumped moral imperatives. Some politicians have even become mouthpieces for Hamas, repeating Hamas lies, and pushing agendas designed to destroy Israel and undermine Jewish life in Australia. Governments and police need to step up and not allow hate to flourish on our streets, in our universities, in our mosques, or anywhere else.

Today, in Australia and in the world, we are facing a moral decision. The mad hatred and lust for violence against Jews is likely to escalate. It will also engulf others, as it always does, especially those who do not fit into or will not submit to the totalitarian agenda of Islamo-fascists and left-wing fascists.

We are at a fork in the road. We either stand for democracy, pluralism, human rights, and the rule of law – values enshrined in Western civilisation – or we allow those who hate those values to turn the world into a place where dictators and their totalitarian and supremacist ideologies rule and wreak havoc. Decision time is now.

[1] Quran 2.63-65: “We took your Covenant and We raised above you of Mount Sinai … And well you knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. We said to them: “Be you apes, despised and rejected.”” (Yusuf Ali) https://quranyusufali.com/2/

[2] Quran 5.59-60: “O, People of the Book … Shall I point out to you something much worse than this, (as judged) by the treatment it received from Allah? Those who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath, those of whom some He transformed into apes and swine, those who worshipped evil; – these are (many times) worse in rank, and far more astray from the even path!” (Yusuf Ali) https://quranyusufali.com/5/

[3] Quran 7.163-166: “Behold! they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. … When in their insolence they transgressed (all) prohibition We said to them: “Be ye apes despised and rejected.”” (Yusuf Ali) https://quranyusufali.com/7/

Julie Nathan is the Research Director at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the peak representative body of the Australian Jewish community, and has authored the annual ECAJ Report on Antisemitism in Australia since 2013.