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West Australian
22-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
EDITORIAL: Shootings a tragic consequence of anti-Semitism
The two Israeli embassy staffers killed by a gunman in Washington DC had the right to expect to be safe. They weren't in a war zone. They were at a museum in America's heart of democracy. The victims, a young couple who planned to get engaged next week on a trip to Israel, were there to attend an event for young diplomats. Speakers at the event included those devoted to humanitarian aid missions across the Middle East and North Africa. Their killer, Elias Rodriguez, is a 30-year-old from Chicago who has had never been in trouble with the law before, authorities say. He approached the couple as they left the event with two friends, and opened fire. After killing the pair, he walked into the museum where he was detained by security. According to DC police chief Pamela Smith, once in custody, he chanted 'Free, free Palestine'. What drives a person to murder two strangers? To take the lives of people entirely unknown to him, who had done nothing to him? Details of Rodriguez' background are scant at this early stage. But there could be little doubt about his motivations. US President Donald Trump called the act a 'depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin described the deaths as 'horrific anti-Semitic murder'. 'We are witnessing the terrible price of anti-Semitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel,' he said. 'The blood libels against Israel are rising in blood and must be fought to the bitter end.' These murders will deeply affect the Jewish community — including in Australia. Australia's Jewish community understands what it's like to have their sense of safety stolen away from them. Every act of anti-Semitism that has occurred in this country and others since the atrocities of October 7, 2023 have chipped away at it. These murders will erode it even further. There are clear differences between Australia and the US. But the frightening reality is that something like this is possible here. The 'wild incitement' Mr Netanyahu spoke about exist here too and they are destroying our social cohesion and sowing the seeds of violent anti-Semitic hatred. As Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich writes in The Nightly today, radicalisation starts with words 'repeated, unchallenged, and unleashed into public life'. 'Before bullets are fired, words are sharpened. And when speech loses its guardrails, when empathy drains out of our discourse, the slide from disagreement to danger becomes disturbingly short.' We cannot allow ourselves to be pulled further down this path towards hatred and violence. Jewish Australians' trust in the Government has been tested in the 19 months since the October 7 massacre. They have watched their Prime Minister and senior ministers urge 'restraint' by Israel in its fight to defend itself and its people against terrorism. They have watched acts of hatred at home be met with weak platitudes. Many no longer feel safe in their own communities. Today, they will mourn the deaths of these two young people, and that sense of safety will slip further away.
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Australian nurse and popular mummy blogger sparks uproar over 'Nazi salute' video
A Sydney nurse and lifestyle influencer has come under fire after she appeared to mimic a Nazi salute as she prepared for a shift at the hospital. Aimee Connor, who is known on social media as shared the now-deleted clip which showed her performing a gesture resembling the outlawed gesture last week. The video, shared to her 1.2million followers, quickly drew criticism with viewers quickly describing the alleged act as 'gross and disgusting'. In response to the backlash, the influencer issued an apology video. 'The video was taken out of context,' she said, insisting the gesture was intended to be a 'soldier's salute' and not a Nazi reference. 'I want to be absolutely clear that was never my intention, and I do not in any way support or condone hate or extremism of any kind.' She added that she has since taken time to reflect on the gesture's implications. 'I have taken some time to reflect and understand the deep significance a salute holds, especially to those in the armed forces,' she said. 'As someone who has not served, I realised it was not my place to use that gesture, even in a light-hearted way, and for that I am deeply sorry.' She continued: 'To any members of the military community or anyone else who felt disrespected, I really want to offer my sincere and heartfelt apology.' The nurse also stated that the matter had been referred to police, and that the 'Australian Police Force' had investigated and cleared her of any wrongdoing. Last January, the Nazi salute and hate symbols were outlawed across Australia, punishable by up to 12 months in prison. The influencer said she and her family had been threatened over the video. 'I have received some extremely concerning messages and threats against my family,' she said. 'I will not be taking any of these threats against myself or my children lightly, and they have been passed onto police.' Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission and a leading force behind the national push to ban public displays of the Nazi salute and swastika, has condemned the video. 'For Holocaust survivors, that outstretched arm is not a symbol of fitness or fun - it is the gesture that marched six million Jews, and millions of others, to their death,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. 'A gesture that once accompanied cries of 'Heil Hitler' is now edited into a 'day in the life' montage and seen by millions of followers. 'That is not just poor judgment - it is a symptom of dangerous ignorance. This is the outcome when history is not taught, when Holocaust education is sidelined, and when genocide is flattened into a trend.' Dr. Abramovich said the intent behind the video was irrelevant. 'Intent does not erase impact,' he said. 'Whether accidental or deliberate, performing a Nazi salute in any context is an act that reopens wounds and desecrates memory.'
