ALP expulsion call
"These comments and attitudes are grounds enough to be expelled, but Amanda Fazio's position on the NSW ALP's Rules Committee ... make her violation of these rules all the more egregious."
The NSW Labor Israel Action Committee (LIAC) is calling on the NSW Labor Party to immediately cancel the membership of high level official Amanda Fazio, in response to antisemitic comments she made in a recent Facebook post, in which she described Jews as “a race of whingers”.
Her post included a link to an article about criticism of the film Maestro, whose lead actor, Bradley Cooper, wears a long prosthetic nose when portraying Leonard Bernstein. Above that link, Fazio wrote, “Here we go again. The race of whingers complaining. By their logic no Jewish actor should ever be cast as a non-Jew.”
The former president of the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Council’s post was revealed in The Australian newspaper last Thursday night, and the following morning, her actions were slammed by NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip, in a report on The AJN’s website.
A letter sent from NSW LIAC on Monday to NSW Labor general secretary Dominic Ofner – which referred to both articles – requested the party to expel Fazio’s membership, permanently, on the grounds she is “clearly in breach” of at least four of the party’s rules, and code of conduct.
The letter claimed Fazio’s views expressed in her post “are unequivocally racist and antisemitic – and have no place in the NSW Labor Party, or any political party for that matter”.
“These comments and attitudes are grounds enough to be expelled, but Amanda Fazio’s position on the NSW ALP’s Rules Committee … make her violation of these rules all the more egregious.”
NSW LIAC’s letter also claimed there is a precedent for decisive action against individuals who have engaged in similar activity, referring to last year’s expulsion of NSW Labor Party member Jay Tharappel, who once wore a jacket bearing the slogans “Curse on the Jews” and “Death to Israel”.
When contacted by The Australian, Fazio replied from Morocco that she had “no comment” about the Facebook post.
In a statement last Friday about Fazio’s actions, Ossip said, “These bigoted comments are nothing short of despicable.”
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