Artists and journalists have been sacked, academics and students targeted amid a sweeping crackdown, and draconian laws passed that curb free speech and the right to protest. No, this isn’t Trump’s America. Since October 2023, Australia has witnessed an ongoing witchhunt against those who have dared draw attention to the unspeakable suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza.
The list of those targeted is exhaustive – from journalist Antoinette Lattouf’s sensational sacking by ABC for sharing a Human Rights Watch post on Gaza, to award-winning artist Khaled Sabsabi’s unprecedented axing from the Venice Biennale by the nation’s arts body.
All share a similar pattern of being at the receiving of attacks combining pro-Israel lobbyists, pro-Israel politicians and legacy media outlets.
It was revealed shortly after Lattouf’s dismissal in December 2023 that a WhatsApp group of pro-Israel lawyers orchestrated a wave of complaints to the ABC in order to get her sacked. And their efforts appeared to have found a sympathetic ear. When then-chair of the ABC, Ita Buttrose, took the witness stand in February this year in Lattouf’s unfair dismissal trial against the ABC, Buttrose openly labelled Lattouf an “activist” for being “critical of Israel”.
It was also revealed that Lattouf’s sacking had been leaked to the right-wing media outlet, The Australian, before Lattouf had even returned home after being evicted from the ABC building. ….more