Latest news with #Peris

The Age
a day ago
- Politics
- The Age
‘Does not belong in this country': Hockey Australia stands by Peris as more anti-Islam re-posts emerge
Hockey gold medallist and former Labor senator Nova Peris shared a series of social media posts scathing of Islam in the lead-up to her election as a director of the sport, including one which said the religion 'should be banned in the West'. Peris was voted onto the board of Hockey Australia last month, nearly three decades after her triumph with the national women's team, the Hockeyroos, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But her position as a director of the government-funded national federation has come under question because of comments she has re-posted online this year. This masthead reported that the pro-Israel campaigner shared a comment from another user on X in April that called Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'. That account is no longer active, but other Peris re-posts of anti-Islam rhetoric in the three months before her elevation to the Hockey Australia board have remained on her profile on the social media platform. The 54-year-old, who has 15,000 followers on X, shared a comment by right-wing commentator Kobie Thatcher on April 18 that denounced Muslims praying in public in Parramatta on Good Friday. 'An Islamic prayer service taking place in Prince Alfred Square. This does not belong in this country!' the post said. Peris re-posted material from another user on April 16 who said, 'Islam should be banned in the West'. The comment was made in reaction to a Muslim man in the US who told an interviewer: 'this American empire must fall' and 'people are willing to fight and put their lives on the line to bring these Western empires down'.

Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Does not belong in this country': Hockey Australia stands by Peris as more anti-Islam re-posts emerge
Hockey gold medallist and former Labor senator Nova Peris shared a series of social media posts scathing of Islam in the lead-up to her election as a director of the sport, including one which said the religion 'should be banned in the West'. Peris was voted onto the board of Hockey Australia last month, nearly three decades after her triumph with the national women's team, the Hockeyroos, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But her position as a director of the government-funded national federation has come under question because of comments she has re-posted online this year. This masthead reported that the pro-Israel campaigner shared a comment from another user on X in April that called Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'. That account is no longer active, but other Peris re-posts of anti-Islam rhetoric in the three months before her elevation to the Hockey Australia board have remained on her profile on the social media platform. The 54-year-old, who has 15,000 followers on X, shared a comment by right-wing commentator Kobie Thatcher on April 18 that denounced Muslims praying in public in Parramatta on Good Friday. 'An Islamic prayer service taking place in Prince Alfred Square. This does not belong in this country!' the post said. Peris re-posted material from another user on April 16 who said, 'Islam should be banned in the West'. The comment was made in reaction to a Muslim man in the US who told an interviewer: 'this American empire must fall' and 'people are willing to fight and put their lives on the line to bring these Western empires down'.

Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Anti-Muslim post shadows Nova Peris' election to Olympic sport board
Olympic gold medallist and former Labor senator Nova Peris was elected as a director of Hockey Australia just weeks after sharing a comment on social media from an anonymous account that called Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'. The 54-year-old joined the board of the government-funded national federation last month, nearly three decades after she played in the Hockeyroos' triumph at the 1996 Atlanta Games, becoming the first Indigenous woman to win Olympic gold for Australia. Hailing her as a legend of the sport, Hockey Australia president Ross Sudano said Peris would be a powerful advocate for the women's game and regional communities, 'enriching our increasingly diverse board'. But Peris' re-posting of the anti-Islam rhetoric has brought into question her fitness to sit on the board of an organisation that receives $9.5 million a year from the Australian Sports Commission and whose diversity policy includes a focus on multicultural communities. The post was made by a since deactivated account on X on April 14 above a cartoon which depicted a drowning Muslim man pleading for help before turning on his rescuers in a boat labelled 'England'. The heading below the image read: 'The path of Islam is always the same'. Peris distanced herself from the comment when contacted by this masthead. 'I absolutely do not share the views expressed in that post, more importantly that account no longer exists and hasn't done so in many months,' she said in a text message. She did not answer why she had shared the post, a screenshot of which has been published on the social media platform and in an article by the National Indigenous Times.

The Age
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Anti-Muslim post shadows Nova Peris' election to Olympic sport board
Olympic gold medallist and former Labor senator Nova Peris was elected as a director of Hockey Australia just weeks after sharing a comment on social media from an anonymous account that called Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'. The 54-year-old joined the board of the government-funded national federation last month, nearly three decades after she played in the Hockeyroos' triumph at the 1996 Atlanta Games, becoming the first Indigenous woman to win Olympic gold for Australia. Hailing her as a legend of the sport, Hockey Australia president Ross Sudano said Peris would be a powerful advocate for the women's game and regional communities, 'enriching our increasingly diverse board'. But Peris' re-posting of the anti-Islam rhetoric has brought into question her fitness to sit on the board of an organisation that receives $9.5 million a year from the Australian Sports Commission and whose diversity policy includes a focus on multicultural communities. The post was made by a since deactivated account on X on April 14 above a cartoon which depicted a drowning Muslim man pleading for help before turning on his rescuers in a boat labelled 'England'. The heading below the image read: 'The path of Islam is always the same'. Peris distanced herself from the comment when contacted by this masthead. 'I absolutely do not share the views expressed in that post, more importantly that account no longer exists and hasn't done so in many months,' she said in a text message. She did not answer why she had shared the post, a screenshot of which has been published on the social media platform and in an article by the National Indigenous Times.


West Australian
16-06-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
East Kimberley leader Ian Trust among Australians caught in Israel-Iran conflict
East Kimberley Aboriginal leader Ian Trust is among a group of prominent Australians who were frantically being evacuated from Israel on Monday as the conflict with Iran escalated rapidly. On Sunday, Wunan chairman and Gija man Mr Trust sheltered in a Tel Aviv bomb shelter with other members of the tour group including Olympian and former politician Nova Peris and media personality Erin Molan as Iranian missiles struck the capital. Ms Peris posted to X that it was, 'extremely frightening and distressing.' 'It's after 2 a.m here in Israel. I'm with 11 other Australians, including several First Nations brothers and sisters. The past 24 hours have been deeply confronting. We spent the early hours of yesterday in a bomb shelter, and much of today there too. 'The last four to five hours have been extremely frightening and distressing. We've witnessed the unrelenting ballistic missile attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and across Israel,' Ms Peris wrote. Mr Trust was part of a delegation of 12 Australians that were on a tour hosted by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council. AIJAC spokesman Joel Burnie said on Monday that they were trying to get the delegation, 'over the border.' 'Very tense at the moment, will focus my attention on getting them out,' he told The Kimberley Echo. Wunan CEO Prue Jenkins said she spoke to Mr Trust on Sunday and, 'he was going okay.' According to The Australian newspaper the other members of the group are Ms Peris' husband Scott Appleton, Aboriginal leaders Jody Hampton and Renee Fowlestone, champion NSW footballer, Maurice Goolagong, The Australian's Indigenous affairs correspondent Paige Taylor, eye surgeon Kris Rallah-Baker, filmmakers Annette and Eliya Cohen, lawyer Fred Linker and Middle East expert Bren Carlill. Ms Taylor wrote in The Australian that on the tour the group learned about the history of the Jewish people as well as explored the country's connections to Indigenous Australians. Ms Molan posted to X on Saturday that she was due to leave Israel on Friday but her flight was cancelled due to the attacks. 'I cannot get out of Israel - for those confused… I was here for an event for 1 night and meant to fly home yesterday but overnight the Iranian attack occurred and airport and airspace closed. It's now a war zone.' The latest update on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Smartraveller website posted on Sunday advises people to not travel to Israel. The latest round of military strikes between the two nations began on Friday with a surprise attack by Israel that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites. Israel advised its campaign would escalate over the coming days. Explosions shook Tel Aviv on Sunday, and, shortly after nightfall, Iranian missiles hit a residential street in Haifa, a mixed Jewish-Arab city, and in Israel's south. The Iranian death toll in four days of Israeli strikes, carried out with the declared aim of wiping out Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, had reached at least 224, with 90 per cent of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said. At least 10 people in Israel, including children, have been killed so far, according to authorities there.