I am pleased to provide my second contribution to the Indigenous Friends of Israel International, by way of the Jewish Community Voice for September 2024.
Norman and Barbara Miller continue to do amazing advocacy work in support of Israel and the Australian Jewish Community. Supporting their incredibly valuable activities, I felt it was important to provide you with some local insights into the happenings here in Melbourne which are a great cause of concern to Jews currently.
Melbourne is a very strange place to live right now if you are Jewish. The ever-growing number of pro-Palestinian supporter groups across the city and in regional Victorian locations is alarming and scary for our community.
They are being protected, appeased and supported by Labor, the Greens and the Teals. Pro-Israel political leadership is few and far between right now. Thank goodness for the likes of Peter Dutton, Simon Birmingham and Pauline Hanson for taking the moral high ground and providing unequivocal support for Jews across Australia.
One of the main protagonists shifting sentiment against Jews here locally, is a group called ‘Free Palestine Melbourne’. Their most notable activity, amongst a relentless pursuit to influence the hearts and minds of Melburnians, is to hold a regular protest every Sunday on the steps of the State Library of Victoria.
My father happened to be in the Melbourne CBD a few Sundays ago and walked past this protest. He was shocked and alarmed by the level of anger, hatred, lies and abuse being spat out by those in attendance. Coming from post WW2 Europe and being the son of Holocaust survivors, seeing this firsthand was triggering and traumatising for him.
According to the ‘Free Palestine Melbourne’ website, these protests are to “come together to remember the many tens of thousands of victims of a year of Israeli genocide.” They are deliberately avoiding some inconvenient truths to distort their antisemitic narrative and turn mainstream Australians against our Jewish community.
Not once has ‘Free Palestine Melbourne’, or any other like-minded groups, mentioned, recognised or called out Hamas or Hezbollah for inciting violence or creating the conflict with Israel to start with. It’s important to know that both Hamas and Hezbollah are globally recognised terrorist organisations, including by the Australian Government.
Make no mistake, their strategies are well thought out and sophisticated. They are more than just a bunch of ragtag Marxist extremists. For example, they ask their followers to question where their superannuation funds are investing your money:
“Oppose apartheid? Support justice for Palestinians. Don’t fund your retirement on the dispossession of Palestinians. Ask your super fund if they invest in companies linked to illegal Israeli settlements.”
There are many other like-minded anti-Israel organisations gaining significant traction in Melbourne right now. Notably, many Victorian Councils are choosing to weigh in on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
According to the Municipal Association of Victoria, “local government has responsibilities including waste management, leisure centres, parks and gardens, and pet registrations.” Focusing on international affairs is most definitely outside their scope of responsibility.
Socialist Alternative is Australia’s largest Marxist revolutionary group. They are actively infiltrating Victorian Councils with the support of the Greens and their extreme left-wing agenda.
They reported that “to date, seven Victorian councils, representing more than one-fifth of the population of Melbourne, have passed motions calling for an end to the onslaught, and community campaigns in several others have motions in the works.”
The Australian Jewish News reported late last year that “inner-city Darebin Council has voted in favour of boycotting companies with Israeli links. It’s joined Maribyrnong and Yarra councils in passing one-sided motions against Israel’s response to the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7th.”
Specifically, the motion calls for the council to investigate how to end contracts with “companies and suppliers that support the illegal occupation of Palestine, especially companies which supply equipment to the Israeli Defence Force.”
This sentiment is being driven by umbrella groups as well. The Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), the peak body for Victoria’s Muslim community, has consistently refused to condemn the October 7th massacre or terrorism in general.
Cohesive working relationship between the ICV and the JCCV (Jewish Community Council of Victoria) have now been damaged irreparably.
Until there is a change of government in Canberra, Jewish people in Australia will continue to look over their shoulder in fear of their safety and security.
Rather than abstaining from voting in support of Israel at the United Nations, the Albanese Labor Government should make a bold, unequivocal statement of support for the Australian Jewish Community.
Sadly, they refuse to do so. Mainly, due to the groundswell of pro-Muslim support in many of their federal electorates threatening to vote against them. When Labor’s political future is on the line, why would they speak out against Islamic extremism?
If you are interested to hear more of my views and opinions on these critical issues, I encourage you to subscribe to my blog: adamkreuzer.com.au or contact me via email: adamkreuzer@gmail.com
Adam Kreuzer
Jewish Affairs Adviser
Indigenous Friends of Israel International