Israeli-American speaker Hillel Fuld responds after Albanese government revokes his visa claiming islamophobia
Israeli-American speaker Hillel Fuld has responded after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revoked his visa citing 'islamophobia rhetoric' which risked inciting discord against Muslim Australians.
Israeli speaker and technology expert Hillel Fuld, born in New York, US, has responded after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revoked his visa citing 'islamophobia rhetoric' which risked inciting discord against Australia's Muslim population.
Fuld, who was set to speak at fundraising events in Sydney and Melbourne hosted by Magen David Adom, an Israeli national emergency service, later in June, confirmed he had been barred from Australia 'because of my tweets'.
The Jewish American entrepreneur has more than 176,000 followers on X where he has posted extensively on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
In one post on X, Fuld claimed up to 15 per cent of Muslims were 'radicalised' , that Islam was a 'global plague' and compared Gazans to Nazi-era Germans and should be 'treated as such'.
In another post, Fuld said liberal western values can 'never coexist next to radical Islamic values'.
In the report on the decision, the Home Affairs Minister said Fuld had used social media to deny 'documented atrocities' and had the potential to use the speaking events to make more 'inflammatory statements'.
According to The Australian, the visa cancellation decision cited one Instagram post, made in a March 2024, in which Fuld dismissed as 'propaganda' reports by international media outlets that Israeli troops had opened fire on Palestinians seeking aid as 'propaganda'.
'This consideration is based on the fact that the visa holder has posted on social media and has made statements denying documented atrocities and Islamophobia rhetoric which has been received by members of the Australian community as inflammatory and concerning,' the decision paper read.
'The visa holder has the potential to use speaking events and other platforms while in Australia to continue making inflammatory statements which have the potential to incite discord.
'I consider there is a risk that those views will be adopted by members of the community and potentially increase the level of hatred against particular segments of the community, namely the Islamic population.' — Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) May 16, 2025
Fuld wrote on X following the decision and said he had returned from Jewish holidays to find it had become public information Australia had revoked his visa.
'Many people are working diplomatic channels so I kept it under wraps for now, but yes, it's true, Australia has banned my entry to the country because of my tweets,' he wrote.
In his social media bio, Fuld defines himself as a 'proud Zionist', a tech columnist, advisor to Google and Microsoft, as well as a father of five.
In his latest post to X, Fuld joked about whether he should add 'persona non grata' to his list of labels.
The Australian Jewish Association released a statement on Saturday calling the decision an 'outrage' and 'attack' on Jewish Australians and the free speech rights of US citizens.
'Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who represents the electorate with the most Muslims cancelled the visa of Hillel Fuld, a Jewish man with American citizenship,' the AJA said.
'The Minister waited until late Friday afternoon once the Jewish Shabbat holiday had set in and over a public holiday long weekend. Hillel was supposed to arrive early next week. This same minister is responsible for importing thousands of Gazans to Australia without adequate security checks.'
The AJA also called for the Trump administration to intervene to overturn the decision.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
24 minutes ago
- West Australian
Trade talks rest on Anthony Albanese's meeting with Donald Trump in Canada
Australia's case for exemptions or relief from American tariffs will rest on Anthony Albanese's meeting next week with US President Donald Trump. Trade Minister Don Farrell had two conversations with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of OECD and World Trade Organisation meetings in Paris last week to press Australia's case, but says it's clear the leaders need to make the final call. Ministers and officials at all levels have consistently been arguing the US shouldn't impose tariffs on Australia because it has a trade surplus here, selling more to Australians than it buys each year. The Trump administration has so far imposed hefty tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which have just risen to 50 per cent, and also slugged Australia with a 10 per cent so-called reciprocal tariff despite Australia not having tariffs on any US goods. Mr Albanese and Senator Farrell have repeatedly said the imposts are not the actions of a friend. Nevertheless, Senator Farrell said he'd had a 'friendly discussion' with Mr Greer but the final decision would be made at a higher level. 'He certainly made it clear that these are ultimately decisions that the President of the United States will make,' the minister told Sky News on Sunday. 'But I certainly haven't given up on the prospect of getting these tariffs removed, and every opportunity I get, I'll continue to pursue that argument with the United States.' Mr Albanese has flagged he expects to meet Mr Trump for the first time on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Canada next weekend. The Government is in the final stages of a review of the rules around American beef imports, with Trump administration figures repeatedly raising Australia's 'ban' on US meat as one of their trade gripes. Australia has biosecurity restrictions on the import of Canadian and Mexican beef that is slaughtered in the US and Mr Albanese has insisted his Government will not risk the safety of local agriculture by relaxing rules. The UK has secured exemptions from some of the US tariffs by striking a new deal that in part allows greater market access for American beef. Shadow finance minister James Paterson pointed to the UK deal as a measure of the success of Mr Albanese's imminent meeting with Mr Trump. '(UK Prime Minister) Keir Starmer has now achieved a partial exemption from the steel and aluminium tariffs, and Australia is at least as good an ally of the United States as the United Kingdom is and so there's no reason why the Prime Minister shouldn't at least be able to secure that exemption,' Senator Paterson told ABC's Insiders. 'I'm just saying that Keir Starmer proves that it is possible to get an exemption. It is not an impossible task.' Senator Farrell said the main topic of discussions with counterparts at the WTO and OECD was ensuring other countries didn't increase their protectionism in the face of the US moves. He pointed out Australia hadn't his China with counter-imposts when it imposed trade barriers on goods such as wine, barley and lobster, and nor had it retaliate against the US. 'I think there's a move around the world to push the case for less protectionism and more free and fair trade,' he said. 'I'm hopeful that those countries around the world who do believe in free and fair trade can reach agreement to extend free trade agreements across the globe so that, irrespective of what the Americans might choose to do, we have a greater diversity of trading partners.'
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Israeli airstrikes kill 55 in Gaza; body of Thai hostage retrieved
Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli airstrike targeted the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, leaving buildings in ruins, on 7 June, 2025. Source: Getty / Anadolu The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7 attack, Defence Minister Israel Katz said, as Israeli airstrikes killed 55 people in the Palestinian territory, according to local medics. Nattapong Pinta's body was held by a Palestinian militant group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified. It comes as the the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US- and Israeli-backed aid group, said it was unable to distribute assistance to Palestinian civilians, blaming threats by Hamas, which Gaza's dominant militant group denied. Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza. Israel's military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week. There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive. Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered. Medics in Gaza said 55 people in total were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the enclave on Saturday. At least 15 Palestinians were killed and 50 wounded by airstrikes in the Gaza City district of Sabra in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, local health authorities said. More than one missile landed in the area. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. It later warned people to evacuate the nearby district of Jabalia, saying it was going to strike there after rockets were launched by militants in the vicinity. The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Saturday that Gaza's hospitals only had fuel for three more days and that Israel was denying access for international relief agencies to areas where fuel storages designated for hospitals are located. There was no immediate response from the Israeli military or COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that coordinates humanitarian matters with the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had uncovered "an underground tunnel route, including a command and control centre from which senior Hamas commanders" operated beneath the European Hospital compound in southern Gaza. It added that it had located several bodies of militants whose identities were "under examination". The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling. Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the GHF said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. The GHF, which has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organisations for alleged lack of neutrality, said it was unable to distribute any humanitarian aid on Saturday because Hamas had issued "direct threats" against its operations. "These threats made it impossible to proceed today without putting innocent lives at risk," the GHF said in a statement in which it also said it intended to resume aid distribution "without delay". A Hamas official told the Reuters news agency they had no knowledge of such 'alleged threats'. On Wednesday, the GHF suspended operations and asked the Israeli military to review security protocols after Palestinian hospital officials said more than 80 people had been shot dead and hundreds wounded near distribution points between 1 and 3 June. Eyewitnesses blamed Israeli soldiers for the killings. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on two days, while on Tuesday it said soldiers had fired at Palestinian "suspects" who were advancing towards their positions. The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to the UN and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the 7 October 2023 attack. Israel's military campaign has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.
9 News
2 hours ago
- 9 News
Violent clashes again in LA after 'chaotic' immigration raids
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here On Saturday local time, protesters gathered in Paramount, California. Assembly member José Luis Solache said four people were arrested. The FBI is investigating alleged instances of demonstrators obstructing immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles Friday and Saturday, the bureau's deputy director, Dan Bongino, said on social media Saturday. Police detain a protester blocking the garage entrance of the Los Angeles Federal Building, following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Daniel Cole/Reuters via CNN) The Department of Justice criticised California officials as protests over federal immigration enforcement operations entered a second day Saturday. "The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom must call for it to end. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect and defend the lives of American citizens," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a Saturday statement. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a "message to the LA rioters" on social media Saturday. "You will not stop us or slow us down," she wrote. "@ICEgov will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Los Angeles Police Department officers move to disperse a protest. (Jae C Hong/AP via CNN) The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it was not involved in immigration enforcement and was working to ensure the safety of the public. "The Sheriff's Department was not involved in any federal law enforcement operations or actions and responded solely for traffic and crowd control management," the LASD said in a statement. The protests started on Friday afternoon. Police on Friday night issued a citywide tactical alert nearly two hours after declaring protests across the downtown area unlawful assemblies. "The use of less lethal munitions has been authorised by the Incident Commander," LAPD's Central Division wrote in a post on X . Videos of the scene show law enforcement officers in riot gear, wielding batons, holding shields and throwing smoke bombs into the crowd. Protesters chanted "Free them all" and held signs with messages including "Full Rights for All Immigrants" and "Stop the Deportations." Video shows several officers in riot gear pinning at least one person to the ground. The protest came after at least 44 people were arrested by federal immigration agents earlier in the day, The Associated Press reported, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers executed search warrants at three locations, according to a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations. The arrests come amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, which has involved waves of raids and deportations across the country. Protesters push a garbage cart as they try to block the garage entrance of the Los Angeles Federal Building. (Daniel Cole/Reuters via CNN) Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass characterised the immigration arrests as "mass chaos," according to CNN affiliate KABC. The mayor said she hadn't been told about the raids in advance. "It sows a sense of terror throughout the community," she said. "ICE was literally chasing people down the street." The federal law enforcement activity came on the same day multiple sources told CNN the Trump administration is preparing for "large-scale" cancellation of federal funds for California. CNN has reached out to DHS for further information. One of the Friday raids was in the city's Fashion District, where agents served a search warrant after a judge determined a business was allegedly using fictitious documents for some of its workers, US Attorney's office spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy told CNN. Protesters hold placards as they gather around the Los Angeles Federal Building. (Daniel Cole/Reuters via CNN) David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union California, was arrested by federal agents after allegedly attempting to obstruct their access at a worksite, US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said in a post on X . "Let me be clear: I don't care who you are – if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted," Essayli said. After being treated for injuries from his arrest, Huerta released a statement condemning the citywide raids. "Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals," he said. Police stand guard around the Los Angeles Federal Building during a clash with protesters. (Daniel Cole/Reuters via CNN) "We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice." "No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement responding to Huerta's arrest, describing the union president as a "respected leader, a patriot and an advocate for working people." Bass said Friday's immigration arrests were different from previous, more organised actions. "I've been really worried about this from the beginning, and as far as I know, this is the first time this has happened in our city like this," she told KABC. "We know ICE has been here, but it's been for targeted arrests; this was just mass chaos. "It sows a sense of chaos in our city, and a sense of terror, and it's just unacceptable." The American Civil Liberties Union called on "elected officials to uphold their commitment to all Angelenos – immigrants and non-immigrants alike – by taking all action necessary to grind this oppressive and vile paramilitary operation to a halt and keep our city safe and whole" in a Friday statement . Protesters gathered outside the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles at roughly 4pm Friday (9am Saturday AEST) , CNN affiliate KABC reported. At one point, hundreds of activists began marching toward a detention facility on Temple Street. One video obtained by CNN shows protesters retreating from the building's entrance after coming face-to-face with the police guarding it. Several projectiles are thrown at officers equipped with body armor and protective shields. Other videos show the detention centre sprayed with anti-ICE graffiti, with some protesters blocking LAPD vehicles close by. Families and friends who had loved ones taken by immigration authorities visited the detention centre to learn more about their status, KABC reported. A young woman who spoke with the outlet said she went to the building in tears after her father was taken by federal agents. The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly around 7pm and warned demonstrators were subject to arrest if they remained in the area. Aerial footage from KABC shows law enforcement throwing smoke bombs on a street to disperse people so they could make way for SUVs and military-style vehicles. "While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations, nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual's immigration status," Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement about the immigration enforcement activities. "I want everyone, including our immigrant community, to feel safe calling the police in their time of need and know that the LAPD will be there for you without regard to one's immigration status." Newsom said in a Saturday statement, "Continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel." "Donald Trump's chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America's economy," the governor said. Protests riot police immigration USA World CONTACT US Auto news:Is this the next Subaru WRX? Mysterious performance car teased.
