Brisbane stands against hate
Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg explained how reports of antisemitic attacks are increasing in Queensland.
Approximately 1000 members of the Jewish, Christian and other communities gathered at Brisbane’s Roma Street Parklands on Sunday to stand together against antisemitism.
Sixteen speakers representing a range of diverse communities spoke powerfully against hate at the event, organised by Never Again is Now (NAIN).
Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg explained how reports of antisemitic attacks are increasing in Queensland.
“Sixty per cent of our community have experienced direct antisemitism – that’s bullying, harassment, physical assault – it’s in schools, it’s at workplaces and it’s online,” he said.
“People are boycotting businesses owned by Jewish people and if you think about it, that’s no different to what it was in the 1930s in Germany.”
The event kicked off with Indigenous pastor Norman Miller playing the shofar and didgeridoo.
Other speakers included NAIN co-founder Mark Leach; youth activist Freya Leach; Queensland deputy opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie; Alice Young, a Yorta Yorta dancer and descendant of William Cooper; and representatives of the Latin American, African, Polynesian and Iranian communities.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton addressed those present in a video message.
It was the fourth NAIN event after rallies held in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. The next event will be held in Perth on October 27.
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