A group of Jewish organisations has labelled Envoy Jillian Segal’s “Antisemitism Report” an attack on Australia’s “democracy” and “freedoms” – benefiting the state of Israel — and say it must be rejected.
Nine Australian Jewish organisations have penned an explosive open letter to the Albanese Government, saying it must reject Antisemitism Envoy Segal’s plan — and not give her “any enforcement or monitoring powers”.
The Jewish groups — supported by more than 20 other organisations, including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Law Centre — say Segal’s plan risks “undermining Australia’s democratic freedoms” and “will not combat antisemitism effectively”.
“Do not grant the Special Envoy any enforcement or monitoring powers” — Jewish groups
The Jewish organisations, which include the Jewish Council of Australia and Jews for Justice, say Segal’s 20-page Antisemitism Plan, released in July, is “undemocratic”, “punitive in nature” and risks “exacerbating instead of combating” antisemitism.
“We call on the government to reject (Segal’s) plan — it poses a threat to human rights, democratic freedoms and social cohesion,” the group writes.
“Do not grant the Special Envoy any enforcement or monitoring powers, nor endorse any enforcement framework that restricts free expression, academic freedom or artistic and journalistic work”.
“(Segal’s) plan…poses a threat to human rights, democratic freedoms and social cohesion” — Jewish groups
Nine Jewish groups have written to the Albanese Government calling on it to reject Segal’s “Antisemitism” plan.
The open letter states Segal’s Plan “risks undermining democratic and multicultural values”, including by “conflating antisemitism” with “criticisms of the policies or actions of the State of Israel”.
It also threatens “lawful political expression”, “academic inquiry”, “journalism”, and “civil society advocacy”, the group states.
The move presents a devastating blow for Segal, and other lobbyists for Israel, who have been exerting heavy pressure on the Albanese Government, both publicly and behind-the-scenes.
As previously revealed, as well as her government role as Antisemitism Envoy, Segal is — and has been at all times since her appointment — a top official of pro-Israel lobby group the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).
“The move presents a devastating blow for Segal and other lobbyists for Israel”
As previously revealed, Jillian Segal is a current top executive at pro-Israel lobby group the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. Source: The Klaxon
Segal released her antisemitism report, flanked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on July 10, and it was reported the government was expected to move quickly to implement some of her recommendations.
The Klaxon sparked national shockwaves two days later, with an expose detailing how Segal’s family trust is one of the biggest funders of far-right political lobby group “Advance”, which aggressively spreads hateful material, racist tropes and bigoted imagery.
In the four-and-a-half months since, the Federal Government has taken no public steps to implement Segal’s recommendations.
The open letter by the nine Jewish organisations is addressed to Prime Minister Albanese; Attorney-General Michelle Rowland; Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly; and Education Minister Jason Clare.
It states that antisemitism poses a “real threat” but that it “must be addressed in the context of all forms of racism”, inline with existing work by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC).
“We are particularly concerned that the plan proposed by (Segal) risks undermining democratic and multicultural values by proposing a framework that addresses antisemitism in isolation from other forms of racism,” the letter states.
“These acts are not isolated; they are symptomatic of deep-seated problems of racism in Australian society” — Jewish groups
“We call on the government to implement a comprehensive, whole-of-society strategy to address racism and religious discrimination, building on the AHRC’s existing work.
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The Jewish groups are calling on the Federal Government to reject Segal’s plan.
Australia faced “deep-seated problems of racism” that were not confined to Jews, the letter states.
“The recent rise in racial vilification – including at anti-immigration rallies led by far-right and neo-Nazi groups – is deeply concerning,” it states.
“First Nations people, Indians, Muslims and Palestinians and their supporters, have been particularly targeted along with Jews.
“These acts are not isolated; they are symptomatic of deep-seated problems of racism in Australian society,” the letter states.
“We question the need for a Special Envoy role” — Jewish groups
The Jewish groups also questioned the need for a Special Envoy role.
“We question the need for a Special Envoy role, particularly given that existing mechanisms, including those within the AHRC National Anti-Racism framework, provide a potential holistic, evidence-based approach to combating all forms of racism, including antisemitism.”
The open letter is authored by nine Jewish groups and has been signed by 22 supporting organisations, including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Law Centre.
The Antisemitism role — “Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism” — is costing taxpayers well over $1 million a year.
Segal is being paid $1,070-a-day and has appointed six staffers, having set up offices in Sydney and Melbourne.
Segal’s 20-page Antisemitism Report are very similar to a “15-point Plan of Action” on antisemitism, released by the ECAJ in February.
On the afternoon July 10, almost immediately after Segal released her report, the ECAJ released a statement that it “strongly endorsed” the 20-page plan and that it was “fully aligned with the ECAJ’s thinking”.
The ECAJ did not state how it was in a position to endorse Segal’s report immediately after it was publicly released.
Neither the ECAJ statement — or Segal’s report — disclosed that Segal is an ECAJ officeholder.
Segal has consistently refused to comment when contacted by The Klaxon over the past five months.
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Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
