Antisemitic attack during local elections
The stickers, showing an Israeli flag with a red line through it, were placed on his campaign posters across the local area, including one directly outside his home.
Max Gross, a Jewish candidate for the Glen Eira City Council, has had all his campaign posters defaced with antisemitic stickers.
The stickers, showing an Israeli flag with a red line through it, were placed on his campaign posters across the local area, including one directly outside his home.
“We’re in Australia, we’re in a multicultural society. And the fact that someone would put such anti-Semitic material… I was just appalled and surprised” he said.
Gross believes the stickers were specifically targeting Israel and, by extension, the Jewish community.
He said, “They didn’t say anything about China or Russia or any other country. The fact that they’ve only criticised the one Jewish state, I would consider antisemitic, especially when I’ve campaigned for a multicultural society.”
The poster defacement has affected not only Gross but also another progressive candidate in Glen Eira, Jane Karslake, who is not Jewish.
Gross stated, “Dick Gross, my uncle, and Jane Karslake, the person I’m running with… we’ve all been attacked for not supporting Palestine.”
Karslake has issued a statement, saying antisemitism is unacceptable and has no place in the community.
“That people who continue to attempt to draw council candidates into discussions or positions on international politics seem to be intent in division and distraction from the important issues that will impact their communities’ future. Voting for high integrity candidates who are focused on the health and well-being of their community should be our first priority in this election” she said.
Gross sees the defacement as an attempt to intimidate him.
“They want me to be silent. They don’t want me to talk about peace in our community, peace and the progressive values that I want to bring to council,” he said.
However, he remains undeterred, saying “I’m going to keep on talking about my values and what changes I want, having a peaceful society.”
Despite reporting the incident to authorities, Gross is realistic about the chances of identifying the perpetrators.
“I respect the authorities, the authorities are doing a great job, but it’s a needle in a haystack, and we can’t have a 24/7 survey on the streets,” he explained.
Gross emphasised his desire to focus on local issues and not be distracted by international conflicts.
“I want peace. I want a two-state solution, I want the hostages released… but I really need to focus on local issues,” he stated.
The Mayor of Glen Eira, Ann Marie Cade said “Antisemitism has no place in our community and will not be tolerated. It’s important to focus on promoting respect and understanding, ensuring that any form of hatred or discrimination is addressed swiftly and effectively”.
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