Australian police stated at a press conference on Friday that their investigation into the pro-Palestinian demonstration outdoors the Sydney Opera Home final 12 months didn’t discover any proof of protesters chanting “fuel the Jews”. Nevertheless, the investigation did say different antisemitic slogans have been used. The demonstration happened following the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7.
The demonstration concerned 1,000 pro-Palestinian supporters marching to the Opera Home, an iconic Australian landmark. At the moment, the Opera Home bore the same colours because the Israeli flag within the aftermath of the Hamas assault. The footage shared by the Australian Jewish Affiliation (AJA) appeared to point out a small group outdoors the Opera Home lighting flares and chanting “fuel the Jews” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese commented on the time that the pictures shared have been horrific: “We’re a tolerant, multicultural nation. I perceive that individuals have deep views about points referring to the Center East battle, however right here in Australia, we’ve to cope with political discourse in a respectful method.” AJA has since posted witnesses of the “fuel the Jews” chant not solely on the Opera Home however on the City Corridor.
After the protest, the Minns Authorities introduced ahead on 21 November 2023 the Crimes Amendment (Prosecution of Certain Offences) Bill 2023. The aim of the invoice is to enhance the prosecution course of for the offense of publicly threatening or inciting violence in opposition to an individual or group based mostly on attributes corresponding to race and faith.
For the investigation, the police employed an impartial biometric science professional to research the audio-visual data. Upon analyzing the video and audio recordings of the protest, no proof was discovered to help the declare that protesters chanted “fuel the Jews.” Nevertheless, the investigation decided that the unsettling phrase captured in audio and video recordings was “The place’s the Jews?” Moreover, the proof revealed the utterance of different offensive slogans, corresponding to “F*** the Jews.”
Police stated that, “[T]here’s a compilation video that has numerous audio and visible information…they’re merely cuts from a extra dad or mum file. When examined, the dad or mum file and the video compilation have the identical audiovisual, and from that the professional has concluded they have been the phrases that have been used.”
Whereas the Australian Nationwide Islams Council (ANIC) commented that they welcome such findings of NSW Police, additionally they referred to as for the Police to establish the perpetrators of the video and the “slanderous subtitles.” ANIC expressed that the video’s preliminary posting and wrongful attribution of phrases have considerably broken and distressed Arab and Muslim communities in Australia.
