‘Politicized Vision’: How Australia’s Proposed Antisemitism Plan Sparked Widespread Concerns

Since the October 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent Israeli aggression on Gaza, documented hate incidents have increased significantly, globally and in Australia.

These incidents have included anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic incidents, ranging from verbal abuse and graffiti to serious physical assaults.

Although anti-Semitism and Islamophobia had been observed in Australia long before the Gaza War, Israel's recent genocide against Palestinians has led to a significant increase in reports.

In March 2024, the Australian government launched a plan to combat anti-Semitism, allocating a budget of approximately $32.5 million to enhance the security of schools, synagogues, and cultural centers.

In July 2024, it appointed Jewish lawyer and businesswoman Jillian Segal as its first special envoy to develop strategies to combat anti-Semitism. Her appointment was immediately criticized for her pro-“Israel” views.

Late last year, Segal came under widespread criticism after stating that pro-Palestinian protests should be banned from city centers, describing them as intimidating to the Jewish community.

Whatever the reason at the time, the failure to announce the appointment of an Islamophobia envoy alongside an anti-Semitism envoy gave Muslim communities the impression that the Australian government was not treating both groups fairly.

After two months of delay, the Australian government announced the appointment of UN global expert Aftab Malik as Australia's special envoy to combat Islamophobia.

This move sparked criticism, with some within the Muslim community questioning the thinking behind the appointment, particularly since Malik is a British Muslim who previously ran programs aimed at countering violent extremism.

Strict Recommendations

Australia's Special Envoy on Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, recently announced that hate incidents against Jews had increased alarmingly by more than 300%, with more than 2,000 incidents recorded between October 2023 and September 2024.

She noted that members of the Jewish community in Australia were experiencing a state of real insecurity amid escalating threats, vandalism, and acts of violence.

Segal told the ABC she would not distribute guidelines on antisemitism, because it was contingent on context, but cited saying Israel has no right to exist and that all the Jews in Israel should be wiped off the face of the Earth as an example.

The report, released on July 10, recommended all levels of government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

It suggested cutting funding to any cultural event that incites antisemitism or fails to effectively address it.

It called for screening visa applicants for antisemitism, emphasizing that visas of foreign nationals involved in antisemitism should be revoked or deported from Australia.

It also noted enhanced oversight of media and social media platforms, and proposed collaboration with other countries to enforce unified policies against extremist content. 

Separately, the report identified universities as the primary focus for reform and warned that antisemitism had become ingrained and normalized within the sector.

It recommended that universities be subject to a scorecard system to determine whether their campuses are safe for Jewish students and staff.

It also called for funding to be suspended for universities that fail to take action on antisemitism, and for grants to be suspended for researchers or academics who engage in antisemitic behavior or hate speech.

In response, Universities Australia, which represents 39 universities in the country, confirmed that it would work with its members to consider these recommendations as soon as possible.

In turn, Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy said, “Academic freedom and freedom of expression are essential to the university's mission, but they must be exercised responsibly, not as a cover for hatred or harassment.”

It is worth noting that Universities Australia members agreed last February to adopt a new definition of antisemitism after consulting with Segal.

Some Australian universities have also imposed disciplinary sanctions on student activists, while others have taken strict regulatory measures, such as monitoring internet use at the University of Melbourne and restricting political messaging at the University of Sydney.

Meanwhile, student unions and organizations supporting the Palestinian Cause in Australia have warned that the IHRA's definition of antisemitism is being used as a tool to silence voices critical of Israel.

They urged Australian universities to reverse its adoption of this definition, while also calling for the repeal of policies targeting protests and sit-ins on campus, which contribute to restricting freedom of expression and advocacy for humanitarian causes.

Disturbing Implications

Recent recommendations to combat anti-Semitism in Australia have drawn mixed reactions.

Some believe Segal’s plan will strengthen efforts to combat a disturbing phenomenon in Australian society.

Government and Jewish community leaders emphasized the need for strict measures to halt this dangerous escalation.

In contrast, community activists expressed concern that some of the recommendations could be used to restrict the right to criticize Israeli policies, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

For his part, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Segal’s recommendations, saying: “At least some of the new recommendations can be implemented quickly. There are a number of things that will require work over a period of time.”

Alex Ryvchin, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), supported Segal’s recommendations.

He emphasized that this issue is not solely the responsibility of the federal government, but rather the responsibility of society as a whole.

In contrast, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) expressed grave concern about Segal's plan.

It noted that it threatens to undermine freedom of expression and marginalize already vulnerable communities, as well as dangerously conflating legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies with antisemitism.

The Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) claimed the proposed plan risked undermining Australia’s democratic freedoms and inflaming community divisions. 

The group said the plan would risk censoring criticism of Israel and not address the root causes of antisemitism.

Dr. Max Kaiser, the Jewish Council of Australia's executive officer, considered Segal's report misleading and potentially leading to a campaign to restrict freedom of criticism of “Israel”.

He said the report resembles Trump's authoritarian playbook, reframing the problem of antisemitism to make it appear linked to immigrants, cultural institutions, universities, and protest movements.

Anti-Semitic Incidents

Australia has witnessed a wave of anti-Semitic incidents in recent months. 

Last week the entrance of a Melbourne synagogue was set alight, while protesters stormed Israeli-owned restaurant Miznon in the city's CBD. 

The Adass “Israel” Synagogue in Ripponlea was gutted in an arson attack late last year in a suspected terror attack.

There were a number of attempts to intimidate Jewish Australians with graffiti and vandalism at Jewish schools, synagogues and personal property over the summer.

According to a report by the ECAJ, last year saw the highest levels of antisemitism in modern Australian history—more than 2,060 incidents.

These incidents included direct physical attacks on streets, threatening letters, hate speech plastered on the walls of Jewish schools and businesses, and increased reports of bullying against Jewish students at universities.

It is worth noting that the roots of this unprecedented wave began with the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, which was accompanied by massive protests in major Australian cities.

In Sydney and Melbourne, chants calling for the expulsion of Jews were observed, as well as graffiti inciting violence.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International emphasized the need to protect the right to freedom of expression and protest, but they warned against the rhetoric slipping to a level that would revive the ghosts of religious hatred.

Some Jewish families have moved to neighborhoods they consider safer, while others have stated that they have begun to prohibit their children from wearing skull caps or carrying religious symbols in public.

Islamophobic Incidents

Against the backdrop of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and the rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Australia, Islamophobic incidents have also increased across the country, whether verbally, physically, or online.

Two Muslim women, one of whom was in her final month of pregnancy, were verbally and physically assaulted in a Melbourne shopping mall.

In light of the rise in such unfortunate incidents, Australia's Special Envoy on Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, emphasized that Islamophobia has become a daily reality for Muslims in the country, warning that it could develop into a cancer that threatens the security of Australian society as a whole.

He called for the allocation of more resources to ensure Muslims feel safe in Australian society.

Incidents of abuse perpetrated against Muslims in Australia more than doubled between January 2023 and November 2024, according to a new report by the Islamophobia Register Australia, a not-for-profit organization.

Anti-Muslim incidents increased by 1,300% in the three weeks after October 7, 2023, compared to the same period the previous year.

The organization stated that most of these crimes go unreported due to the widespread belief that authorities will not give them sufficient attention.

These incidents range from verbal and physical assaults, to offensive graffiti or slogans on places of worship.

Discrimination against Muslims in the workplace and elsewhere is a form of Islamophobia that cannot be ignored, in addition to many incidents occurring through various media platforms.

Dr. Nora Amath, Executive Director of the Islamophobia Register Australia, said the data shows the issue cannot be ignored by authorities.

“The evidence is irrefutable, Islamophobia is not only real but has reached crisis levels in Australia,” she said.

The majority of Islamophobic incidents took place in New South Wales, which accounted for nearly half of the national total.