Latest news with #RacialDiscrimination
The Guardian
28-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mary Kostakidis tells court Zionist federation racial discrimination case is ‘embarrassing' and too vague
Mary Kostakidis has asked the federal court to strike out an 'embarrassing' Zionist Federation of Australia racial discrimination claim on the grounds it fails to identify which race, ethnicity or nationality was offended by her social media posts about Israel. The journalist's interlocutory application said the claim is 'embarrassing' because it is so ambiguous it could include ethnic Arabs who follow the Jewish faith or 'a Jewish person who is ethnically Swedish'. The former SBS newsreader has been accused by the ZFA of breaching the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) by sharing two X posts about a speech by the late Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah in January 2024. Kostakidis has not yet filed a defence but has asked the court to strike out the entire claim, or at least substantial parts of it. The chief executive of the ZFA, Alon Cassuto, complained to the Human Rights Commission but the matter was not resolved and was escalated to the federal court. Cassuto's claim says the breach came when Kostakidis shared a video of a speech by Nasrallah on X and added: 'The Israeli govt getting some of its own medicine. Israel has started something it can't finish with this genocide.' A second post sharing the same video on 13 January is also part of the claim. Kostakidis' interlocutory application will be heard by Justice Stephen McDonald on Tuesday in Adelaide's federal court. Sign up: AU Breaking News email In documents filed with the court, Kostakidis submitted that the RDA claim is so imprecise and ambiguous about Jewish people and citizens of Israel it could include 'Arab ethnicity in the case of an Arab person who follows the Jewish faith' or 'a Jewish person who is ethnically Swedish'. The submission argues Zionism 'is a political philosophy with many shades of meaning such that to identify as a Zionist says very little about a person's beliefs and sensitivities'. Cassuto submitted Kostakidis' claim that Zionism is too vague to be defined is 'without foundation and should be rejected', according to his reply to the interlocutory application which was filed with the court. 'Zionism is, simply, the movement founded with the purpose of establishing a national home for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland and which now supports that national home,' Cassuto said. Kostakidis submitted the number of persons who identify as Jewish is 116,967 or 0.46% of the total Australian population. As she has 28,000 followers on X, she submitted the number of Jewish people who were aware of one or both of the posts would be a total of 120 people. Cassuto said Kostakidis 'raises theoretical criticisms of form' to avoid dealing with the substance of the claim made against her, which is 'obvious'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'The pleaded reason for the impugned posts is: in the case of Australian Jews, their racial or ethnic origin as Jews; and in the case of Israelis in Australia, their national origin as Israelis,' the ZFA reply said. 'No other interpretation is fairly open. The fact that the respondent can point to the fact that an individual in each group may have more than one race or national or ethnic origin is plainly irrelevant.' Cassuto alleges that since the 7 October attack, Kostakidis has posted on X 'about Israel and/or Jews, including among other things spreading various antisemitic conspiracy theories. Those antisemitic conspiracy theories include that Israel controls the United States government, that Israel assassinated John F Kennedy, that there was an alliance between Zionists and the Nazis, and that Israeli Mossad agents were involved in the September 11 2001 attacks.' 'The pleaded case is clear,' the applicant said in response to the interlocutory application. 'Ms Kostakidis has launched a wide-ranging but unjustified attack on a properly pleaded case. Mr Cassuto respectfully submits that the strike out application should be dismissed with costs, and Ms Kostakidis should be required to put on her defence so that his claim may be heard and determined at trial.'
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Carnival celebrates 60 years of race legislation
A carnival has brought generations together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of legislation against racial discrimination. Celebrating African and Caribbean culture, St Pauls Carnival returned to Bristol as a scaled down event on Saturday after organisers "reflected on finances", director Ricardo Sharry said. Elders were entertained at a brunch, children sang and danced, and poems were performed. The theme was "Roots of Resilience" to commemorate the passing of The Race Relations Act 1965, which was introduced two years after the Bristol Bus Boycott and outlawed discrimination in public places. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol "The carnival really epitomises that spirit - people pop up and they share their music and it covers the whole African and Caribbean diaspora so it's really special." Mr Sharry said. He said he hoped the carnival would be "bigger and better next year" after a smaller event, Back A Yard, was deemed to be "more appropriate" this year. Mr Sharry said: "What's quite nice is we've got the older generation, we've got the younger generation, and then the middle generation - people come to the streets and enjoy the carnival." "It's a really nice balance of 'for the community' and 'supported by the community'." Antonette, a poet, said she found writing about her own experiences "cathartic" and was pleased to read her work at the event. "Today was an excellent opportunity for me to perform some of the poems I have written in the past, related to the Windrush generation," she said. Antonette read poems about her arrival in England from Barbados and the prejudice she faced, as well as her experience of racial and verbal abuse in schools, drawing on what her son had been through. "It was lovely to express myself and I saw a lot of nodding in the audience," she said. "I haven't been upset by all the things that happened to me. I fought back." Antonette said St Pauls Carnival brought "different people together". "It's a celebratory event and especially for elders like myself... it was great," she said. "It's a community thing and it's lovely. I hope it will go on forever." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. St Pauls Carnival announces scaled-back programme 'Carnival is the heart of the city' St Pauls carnival celebrates Windrush St Pauls Carnival
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
St Pauls Carnival celebrates 60 years of race legislation
A carnival has brought generations together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of legislation against racial African and Caribbean culture, St Pauls Carnival returned to Bristol as a scaled down event on Saturday after organisers "reflected on finances", director Ricardo Sharry were entertained at a brunch, children sang and danced, and poems were theme was "Roots of Resilience" to commemorate the passing of The Race Relations Act 1965, which was introduced two years after the Bristol Bus Boycott and outlawed discrimination in public places. "The carnival really epitomises that spirit - people pop up and they share their music and it covers the whole African and Caribbean diaspora so it's really special." Mr Sharry said he hoped the carnival would be "bigger and better next year" after a smaller event, Back A Yard, was deemed to be "more appropriate" this Sharry said: "What's quite nice is we've got the older generation, we've got the younger generation, and then the middle generation - people come to the streets and enjoy the carnival.""It's a really nice balance of 'for the community' and 'supported by the community'." Antonette, a poet, said she found writing about her own experiences "cathartic" and was pleased to read her work at the event."Today was an excellent opportunity for me to perform some of the poems I have written in the past, related to the Windrush generation," she read poems about her arrival in England from Barbados and the prejudice she faced, as well as her experience of racial and verbal abuse in schools, drawing on what her son had been through."It was lovely to express myself and I saw a lot of nodding in the audience," she said."I haven't been upset by all the things that happened to me. I fought back." Antonette said St Pauls Carnival brought "different people together"."It's a celebratory event and especially for elders like myself... it was great," she said."It's a community thing and it's lovely. I hope it will go on forever."
ABC News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
The issues that once caused political storms barely registered this week
Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage for weeks or even months, until they are finally extinguished by action or fade by being overtaken by the next big thing. On two very different fronts this week, we're reminded how these cycles work. During the last term, the opposition constantly hammered the government over its handling of the former immigration detainees released after the High Court found they couldn't be held indefinitely. These included people who had committed murder, child sex offences and violent assaults. On Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke admitted in a television interview that the legislation the government passed to re-detain some of these people was, in effect, impossible to use. Burke's comments attracted only limited attention. The other reminder of an old story came when the Federal Court ordered a militant Muslim preacher to remove inflammatory lectures from the internet. He had lost a case brought by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry under Section 18C for the Racial Discrimination Act. More than a decade ago, political passions ran high in conservative circles about the alleged evils of 18C. First to the Burke admission. Burke told Sky he had "a lot of resources" dedicated to trying to get applications to court for preventative detention orders. But "no-one has come close to reaching the threshold that is in that legislation". Burke insisted he was "not giving up", but there is little reason to believe things will change. The opposition has suggested amending the preventative detention legislation, but Burke says that would hit a constitutional obstacle. For a long time, the government had kept saying it was working up cases to put to the court (and given the impression action was close). But, realising the difficulty, it also passed legislation facilitating the deportation of these people to third countries. There are now three former detainees due to be deported to Nauru, following a financial agreement with that country. But there's a hitch: their deportations are tied up in court appeals. (They are, however, able to be held in detention while the cases proceed). The challenge still presented by the former detainees in the community is no small matter, despite the political storm having calmed and the media interest dissipating. In evidence in Senate estimates in March, the Department of Home Affairs said 300 people had been released from immigration detention as at the end of February. Of these, 104 had offended since release, and 30 were incarcerated (including on remand). Some 83 had only a state or territory criminal charge; seven only a Migration Act charge; 14 people had both a Migration Act charge and a state or territory charge. In recent weeks, one former detainee is alleged to have murdered a photographer in Melbourne. The political context can be very relevant to whether the embers of an old issue re-spark into something major. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's decision last year to put Burke into home affairs was something of a political masterstroke. If Clare O'Neil and Andrew Giles had still been in their former respective portfolios of home affairs and immigration, the present failure to deal more successfully with the former detainees would have been a much bigger issue. Burke is skilled at throwing a blanket over contentious areas. On the other side of politics, James Paterson was moved out of home affairs to become shadow finance minister in Sussan Ley's reshuffle. Paterson pursued the former immigration detainees relentlessly. The new spokesmen, Andrew Hastie (home affairs) and Paul Scarr (immigration) haven't hit their strides yet, and what they have said on the issue hasn't grabbed much attention. The government would have been under more pressure on the issue if parliament were sitting. But the new parliament doesn't meet until July 22. When it does, one of the new arrivals will be a former face, Liberal MP Tim Wilson. Way back when, Wilson was a player in the story of 18C. For him, the way 18C resurfaced this week contains more than a little irony. In February 2014, Wilson took up his post of Human Rights Commissioner, appointed by the Abbott government with the special brief of promoting freedom of speech. (He was even dubbed the "freedom commissioner".) The Abbott government was strongly opposed to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which made it unlawful to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" a person or group because of their race or ethnicity. The assault on 18C ran into vigorous opposition from ethnic and other groups, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. In the end, then prime minister Tony Abbott retreated. Wilson was disappointed, tweeting: "Disturbed to hear the government has backed down on 18c and will keep offensive speech illegal. Very disturbed." In his 2025 bid for election, Wilson — who had been member for Goldstein from 2016-2022 — was helped by the Jewish vote, after the rise of antisemitism. The debate about free speech has moved on a great deal since the days of the Abbott government, when conservatives were particularly agitated about 18C following a court judgement against journalist Andrew Bolt relating what he has written about some fair-skinned Indigenous people. Today's debate is in the context of "hate speech" associated with the Middle East conflict. Hate-crime laws have provoked another fierce round of controversy about the appropriate limits to put on "free speech". The Executive Council of Australian Jewry brought its case under the 18C civil law against preacher William Haddad, from Western Sydney, after no action was taken by the authorities under the criminal law. Haddad described Jews as "a treacherous people, a vile people", among other offensive remarks, that included saying: "The majority of banks are owned by the Jews, who are happy to give people loans, knowing that it's almost impossible to pay it back." Haddad argued in his defence his lectures drew on religious writings, relating them to contemporary events, and were delivered for educational purposes. Finding against Haddad, Judge Angus Stewart said the lectures conveyed "disparaging imputations about Jewish people and that in all the circumstances were reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate and intimidate Jews in Australia". Reflecting on this week's decision, George Brandis — who was attorney-general during the 18C furore — says, "My view hasn't changed. It should not in a free country be either criminally or civilly actionable to say something that merely offends. However, in this case the conduct went far beyond mere offence, to intimidation. It did not require 18C to get the redress that was sought in the case." Wilson does not wish to re-enter the debate. The new opposition industrial relations spokesman says his focus is "my portfolio responsibilities". It's likely many of those who fought 18C years ago hold to their original view, while having to applaud the judgement made under it this week. That's another irony. Michelle Grattan is a professorial fellow at the University of Canberra and chief political correspondent at The Conversation, where this article first appeared.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
The heartbreaking reality of these images as Hawthorn celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its famous threepeat
Hawthorn's golden era was honoured on Friday night, but one iconic name was missing from the celebrations. The club's famous threepeat team - premiers in 2013, 2014 and 2015 - reunited at Melbourne Town Hall to mark 10 years since their historic run. It was a night of laughter, stories, and old teammates reconnecting - except one. Cyril Rioli, the four-time premiership hero and 2015 Norm Smith Medallist, did not attend. When Hawthorn posted photos from the event, fans were quick to spot the painful detail. 'Where's Cyril?' one asked. Another posted a single tear emoji and the comment : 'Wish Cyril would go.' The rift between Rioli and Hawthorn remains unresolved, despite fans' hopes for healing. In 2022, Rioli became the lead plaintiff in a high-profile racial discrimination claim against the club. That matter has since been settled, with the club issuing an apology and the plaintiffs receiving an undisclosed financial settlement. But Rioli has remained distant from Hawthorn - and his absence on Friday confirmed the depth of that separation. Former captain Luke Hodge, who played alongside Rioli for a decade, has tried repeatedly to reconnect. 'We left on really good terms,' Hodge said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters. 'When he retired, he sent me a message saying 'thanks for all the development and all the help'.' Premiership-winning coach Alastair Clarkson was another big name absentee, as he was busy preparing North Melbourne for their clash against Carlton on Saturday Yet even mentors from Hawthorn's famous forward line haven't been able to reach him. 'It's almost like he's parted ways with everyone there,' Hodge said. Rioli didn't attend Hawthorn's centenary match in May either. But he was spotted later that month, smiling at TIO Stadium as Gold Coast played Hawthorn during Sir Doug Nicholls Round. The moment was broadcast live as Rioli stood to cheer a Suns goal. 'He had a fair smile on his face when Gold Coast kicked that goal,' Hodge noted on commentary. At full-time, Hodge made his way to the stands for a brief chat with his former teammate. 'It was just good to see him looking happy,' he said. Rioli's cousin, Daniel, now plays for the Suns and spoke after the game. 'I didn't see him or have had any contact with him yet,' Daniel said. 'But it's good to see him out here still watching the footy. I love him.' Hawthorn fans clearly feel the same way. 'Where is Cyril? We miss you a lot!' one fan wrote. Another added: 'Cyril will never come back. It's sad.' There is still a sense of deep respect and reverence for Rioli's brilliance. From his six-goal, 12-tackle performance in 2011, to his match-winning birthday goal against Sydney in 2016, Rioli created moments that will never be forgotten. But as the club's stars gathered for one more toast to greatness, the absence of their most electric player couldn't be ignored.
