Anti-Semitism
| About this Item |
Subjects | Racial Discrimination; Advertising; Jews; Vandalism |
Speakers | Debnam Mr Peter |
Business | Private Members Statements |
Page: 10232
Mr PETER DEBNAM (Vaucluse) [11.51 a.m.]: Once again I wish to speak about anti-Semitism. In introducing the topic I note that over the last 24 hours there has been a fair amount of publicity about another racist attack on a mosque under construction in Western Sydney. My comments today are a call for the action by the Premier not only on that attack but on another person in Sydney who is continuing to spew out anti-Semitic racial vilification. A person by the name of Mike Barclay has a billboard in North Sydney. I understand he has had the billboard for about a year and a half and it has carried a number of messages. In the last four to six weeks the messages on that billboard have been against Israel and Jews. The messages reflect the sort of inflammatory hate message we sought to target many years ago with racial vilification legislation. I implore the Premier to take urgent action on this issue.
I wish to cite a few of the messages that Mike Barclay has put up on the billboard in the last six weeks. The first of the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel messages read, "Jews make fantastic lampshades. Why is Israel above the law?" Every weekday 70,000 motorists drive past that sign. It is the sort of message that will inflame hatred. A private citizen, Anita Sekely, took exception to the billboard and lodged a complaint with the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board. The billboard was then changed to read, "Anita Sekely thinks I should be crucified. Jews are good at that." As reported in this week's issue of the Jewish News, despite approaches to various authorities, including Mosman Council, NSW Police and the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board, the issue appears to be regarded as too complex, too insignificant, or both. The point I make here is that the authorities are floundering.
The Parliament has been very specific on these issues. These are the sorts of racist bigots we need to stamp on very quickly. Clearly, Mike Barclay is a racist bigot and the authorities should stamp on him. However, it appears that it requires a message from the Premier for the authorities to take action. Therefore, I urge the Premier to get involved in this issue and ensure that action is taken against Mike Barclay either this morning or this afternoon. As I said a few weeks ago, I have spoken in this House many times about anti-Semitism. We are currently seeing the rise of virulent anti-Semitism in Europe, especially in France. We are also seeing the rise of anti-Semitism here in Australia. I have spoken about this issue on a number of occasions—17 November 2000, 26 October 2001, 9 May 2002, 27 September 2002, 22 November 2002 and 16 February 2004.
On the last occasion, 16 February 2004, a bipartisan motion deploring anti-Semitism was passed in this House. During debate on that motion I made the point that we have had racist bigots in Sydney for some time but effectively no action has been taken against them. I also made the point that the performance measure in this area is convictions, rather than the Carr Government's media strategies. I reiterate that point today. Mike Barclay is clearly a racist bigot. Not only do we want action taken against the people who recently attacked the mosque in Western Sydney, but we want action taken urgently against Mike Barclay. It appears that to get beyond the authorities floundering over the issue and ensure that action is taken will require the Premier's Office ringing everyone involved. As soon as I leave the Chamber after my private member's statement, I intend to ring the Premier's Office to emphasise that point.