Australian Multicultural Council member under scrutiny after anti-Israel posts
A recent appointee to the Australian Multicultural Council (AMC), is at the centre of a growing political and community backlash after a series of past social media posts labelling Israel a “terrorist” state resurfaced.
The controversy has drawn criticism from Jewish community leaders and internal council sources, raising questions about the integrity and role of government-appointed multicultural representatives.
Syeda Aimen Jafri (Youtube)
Jafri, a long-time diversity advocate and former chair of the Multicultural Council of Tasmania, was appointed to the AMC in early March on the recommendation of the Tasmanian government. Her appointment was welcomed on the AMC’s website, where she was described as a “distinguished leader.” However, as The Australian first reported, her social media history reveals a pattern of incendiary posts relating to Israel and the Middle East that many see as incompatible with her official role.
In posts dating back to late 2023, Jafri described Israel as a “terrorist” state and called out Middle Eastern nations that had normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, accusing them of selling their “souls to the devil.” In one post, she wrote, “Shame on UAE, Saudi, Bahrain and Morocco. Sold your souls to the devil.”
Post by Syeda Aimen Jafri
Jafri also compared Australia’s support for Israel to its historical oppression of Indigenous Australians. Shortly after the Indigenous Voice referendum failed in October 2023, she wrote: “Australia please stop supporting (the) killing of indigenous people of Palestine. Oh I forgot you didn’t support your own indigenous people on Oct 14.”
Another post featured an image of Palestinian children sitting in front of a tent with the caption: “If you don’t like refugees coming to your country, then stop voting for politicians who love to bomb the shit out of other countries.” Jafri added the hashtags #IsraelTerrorist, #Gaza, and #Auspol to the image.
According to The Australian, once AMC leadership was alerted to the posts, Jafri swiftly deleted them from her accounts. Sources within the council, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the remarks were “abhorrent” and expressed concern about the impact such language could have during a time of heightened antisemitism in Australia.
“This is somebody that is considered a community leader and should be aware that making statements that call Israel a terrorist state would cause hurt during a time when the Australian Jewish community is feeling the brunt of antisemitism,” one council source told The Australian.
Despite the public outcry, AMC Chair Christine Castley stood by Jafri, affirming her continued confidence in her role on the board. “Aimen brings a wealth of experience to the AMC and I’m very confident in her abilities and participation,” Castley stated.
However, Jewish organizations have strongly condemned the appointment and the remarks. Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said it was “inappropriate” for someone with a record of “demonising and dehumanising an entire nation” to sit on the AMC.
“As a former member of the Australian Multicultural Council, I know that its focus is supposed to be on social inclusion and cohesion, and countering racial discrimination and prejudice,” Wertheim told The Australian. “This is the opposite of the kind of example council members should be setting.”
Jeremy Leibler, President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, said the remarks were “appalling,” “offensive,” and “dangerous.” He warned that such rhetoric threatened the integrity of multicultural institutions.
“To falsely call the world’s only Jewish state and only democracy in the Middle East a terrorist entity, while Jewish Australians are experiencing record levels of anti-Semitic hate, is not just offensive—it’s dangerous,” Leibler said.
Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, also condemned the comments, stating that Jafri’s posts “weaponised Indigenous suffering” to attack another minority. “You cannot preach harmony while spewing such inflammatory rhetoric,” Abramovich told The Australian. “This is not solidarity, it’s exploitation.”
The Department of Home Affairs, which supports the AMC, said that all appointments were made in line with Cabinet guidelines and that the council is expected to provide independent advice to government on multicultural issues.
Ms. Jafri declined to comment when approached by The Australian with a detailed list of questions.
Yet another manifestation of the fact that support for “diversity “ doesn’t include Jews. Wake up “Tikun Olamists”. The woke Left aren’t our friends and their values are not our values?
The Chair, Christine Castley, stands by Jafri, so that is that? No, that is not all there is to it. Both of these women should be stood down from the AMC. As for The Department for Home Affairs, it has now accepted that it will take advice from this body while it has an antisemitic person as a member. Let us hope that after May 3 all will change here. In the meantime, our Jewish umbrella bodies should keep the pressure on. It’s absolutely unacceptable.