The fight against antisemitism is the ‘fight for Western values'
Content Creator Tessa Veksler says the fight against antisemitism is a 'fight for Western values'.
'We need to agree what this is about – first and foremost, this is a fight for Western values and for humanity against hatred of all kinds.
'The thing that people really don't understand, is that it starts with the Jews, it never ends with us – and so, if we care for the Free World and we can all agree on that, it will help us unite against this form of hatred.'
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Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
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A radical Islamic preacher has been accused of making anti-Semitic comments about Jews in a bid to become an online celebrity. Wissam Haddad took the stand in a landmark trial brought by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Australia's peak Jewish body, over five sermons he delivered in November 2023 the group regards as anti-Semitic and in breach of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. In the sermons, Mr Haddad describes Jews as the 'descendants of pigs and monkeys', and a 'vile and treacherous' people who use their 'wealth' to wield power over the weak, among other derogatory terms. Mr Haddad testified that by 'Jews', he was only referring to Jews 'of faith'. 'I'm speaking about Jews of faith, not an ethnicity,' Mr Haddad said. He also claimed to be speaking about Jews in either the 7th century, during the times of historical battles with Muslims, or Jews who are currently in the Israeli government. "When I speak about Jews today, I'm referring to the Jews that are in charge of Israel,' Mr Haddad said. The barrister for the Jewish group, Peter Braham SC, put to Mr Haddad he'd never made the distinction during the speeches, which were delivered at his Al Madina Dawah Centre in southwest Sydney - which the court heard has since closed - and later uploaded to social media pages on Facebook and Rumble. Mr Haddad responded he did not have to make the qualification because the Muslims he was speaking to would have implicitly understood. He later said, 'I never set out to insult Jews, no', and agreed it would be 'improper' to make a blanket statement about all Jews. When pressed by both Justice Angus Stewart whether he accepted there were Israeli government members and supporters of 'no particular faith', Mr Haddad said he did not 'have that knowledge.' In one of the 2023 speeches in question, Mr Haddad referred to Jews as 'rats'. 'The majority of banks are owned by the Jews,' he says in the speech. 'Peace is bad for the Jews. There goes our media, our Hollywood blockbuster films.' Mr Braham put to Mr Haddad that the 'Jews of the Israeli government don't have Hollywood blockbuster films.' 'It's just a lie for you to say you were only talking about Jews in the Israeli government when you were talking about Jews who made Hollywood films?' Mr Braham said. Mr Haddad denied he had lied. The court heard of other occasions Mr Haddad had made insulting comments about other religious communities, including when he gave a sermon in 2022 in which he warned Muslims wishing someone 'Merry Christmas' was worse than 'congratulating someone… for committing murder'. In 2023, he gave another sermon calling Hindus 'worshippers of cows and monkeys', then posted an Instagram video in which he mockingly eats a hamburger while saying he does not have 'beef' with anyone. Cows are considered sacred to Hindus. Mr Haddad has relied on the defence that his speeches were made 'reasonably and in good faith', which would provide an exemption under section 18D of the Act. Mr Braham said the cleric's past controversial comments showed he was not a person 'who engages in serious discussions.' 'He's a person who engages in mocking, flippant comments of other communities - mocking Christmas, mocking people's dietary habits,' Mr Braham said. He put to Mr Haddad he had repeatedly courted controversy in the past and was making 'rude and racist' comments about Jews to attract attention to himself. 'You wanted to be an online personality, an influencer, didn't you?' Mr Braham said. 'No,' Mr Haddad responded. 'Weren't you trying to relive the glory days of the controversies about Christians and Hindus?' Mr Braham said. 'No,' was again the reply. Mr Haddad spent much of his time in the witness box arguing his speeches were derived from Islamic scripture, a claim he was repeatedly challenged on. The Jewish group may call an expert on Islamic scripture on Thursday before both sides present their closing arguments. The trial finishes in the Federal Court on Friday.
West Australian
8 hours ago
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China's rare-earth mineral squeeze puts defence giants in the crosshairs
The automotive and robotics industries have been hit particularly hard by China's rare earth export restrictions in recent weeks, but analysts warn Western defence giants will also feel the heat. Top US and Chinese officials are resuming trade talks in London for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, pushing to de-escalate tensions over rare-earth minerals and advanced technology. The White House has signalled a willingness to ease chip export controls if Beijing accelerates rare earth exports, boosting investor hopes of a breakthrough. Both sides have accused each other of reneging on a preliminary trade deal struck in Geneva last month. China's Ministry of Commerce in early April imposed export restrictions on several rare earth elements and magnets widely used in the automotive and defence sectors. The curbs were part of a response to US President Donald Trump's tariff increase on Beijing's exported products. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Monday told CNBC's 'Squawk Box' that he expected a deal on rare earths to be struck quickly. 'So, our expectation is that ... immediately after the handshake any export controls from the US will be eased, and the rare earths will be released in volume, and then we can go back to negotiating smaller matters,' Mr Hassett said. China is the undisputed leader of the critical minerals supply chain, producing roughly 60 per cent of the world's supply of rare earths and processing almost 90 per cent, which means it is importing these materials from other countries and processing them. US officials have previously warned that this dominance poses a strategic challenge amid the pivot to more sustainable energy sources. William Bain, head of trade policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said it appeared some progress had been made on the first day of US-China trade talks, but it remains 'absolutely vital' to achieve a further breakthrough on rare earth policy. 'We've seen some relaxation over the weekend with licenses granted in sectors connected with robotics and electric vehicles, but if you take, for example, a critical mineral like samarium, within magnets, that's absolutely essential for F-35 fighter jet construction in the US,' Mr Bain told CNBC's 'Europe Early Edition' on Tuesday. 'They can't make them without that. And not having access to that is severely affecting both U.S. construction in that area, but also perhaps its national security if that remains in place,' he added. CNBC has contacted the U.S. Department of Defense and the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, for comment. The restrictions imposed by China's Ministry of Commerce in early April require firms to apply for a license for the export of rare earths and magnets. Rare earth elements play an integral role in modern defence technologies, according to the SFA-Oxford consultancy, enabling advanced radar and sonar systems, laser guidance and propulsion technologies in combat environments. Automotive industry groups have complained about the cumbersome process of trying to get necessary approvals, warning of increasing production threats as inventories deplete. China nevertheless appeared to offer US and European auto giants something of a reprieve over the weekend. China's Ministry of Commerce on Saturday said it was willing to establish a so-called 'green channel' for eligible export license applications to expedite the approval process to European Union firms. Beijing also granted rare earth licenses to suppliers of US auto giants General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis, Reuters reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources. Gracelin Baskaran, director of the critical minerals security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, said it was just a matter of time before the defence industry sounds the alarm over a rare earth shortage — noting that many of them have already done so behind closed doors. 'Defense companies are in the front line of impact, given we need thousands of pounds of rare earths in each submarine and fighter jet,' Ms Baskaran told CNBC by email. The US, European Union and Australia must coordinate supply- and demand-side interventions to boost rare earths production, CSIS' Baskaran said, adding that this need arises primarily because of prevailing price dynamics. 'If the price of praseodymium-neodymium (PrNd) oxide—a critical input for rare earth permanent magnets—remains below $60 per kilogram by 2030, nearly half of the projected non-Chinese supply would become financially unviable. On the supply side, this will necessitate measures such as production tax credits and subsidies,' Ms Baskaran said. 'On the demand side, implementing incentives to procure minerals from allied nations—similar to the provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act—will be essential,' she added. Last month, China temporarily paused export restrictions targeting 28 American companies following a trade truce reached between Washington and Beijing in Switzerland. China continued to block exports from that country of seven rare earth metals to the US, however. Many of the 28 American companies given a reprieve on dual-use export restrictions are common targets of Beijing's sanctions because of their activity in the defence sector. Henry Sanderson, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based defence and security think tank, said the defence industry hasn't been nearly as vocal as the automotive sector when it comes to concerns over the impact of a rare earth shortage. 'Defense is hard because its less transparent, but they definitely use rare earths and rare earth magnets and especially what's called samarium cobalt magnets, but it's a much smaller demand than EVs or robots or anything like that,' Mr Sanderson told CNBC by phone. 'I'm less clear whether defence is as worried as the civilian industries, but saying that, looking at the level of magnet production in the West, it is very small,' he added.
Sky News AU
13 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Appalling': Defence expert calls out Albanese government for allowing ‘loophole' that saw billions of dollars spent of Russian crude
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