Calls for Faruqi to resign
“As leaders, we have a responsibility to unite Australians. We must all come together to stand strong against this hatred,” says Allegra Spender, Member for Wentworth.
Federal Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi is under fire for posting a since-deleted photo on Instagram with participants at a pro-Palestinian student rally in Sydney next to a sign depicting an Israeli flag tossed into a bin, with the words “keep the world clean”.
In the post, Faruqi commented: “Courageous students will lead the way for justice for Palestine.”
Reaction was swift, with Israeli-Australian Ofir Birenbaum leading a dozen-strong gathering last Saturday outside Faruqi’s Sydney office, where they stood with bins.
“When I saw Senator Faruqi’s post, I could not sit still – it is antisemitism by definition,” he said.
By Sunday evening, a Change.org petition, calling upon Faruqi to “apologise for her role in spreading antisemitism”, had 1500 signatures.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) condemned Faruqi and called for her to “issue an apology, and resign”, describing her behaviour as “not aligned with the values of Australia”. ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said Faruqi’s conduct was “unbefitting a senator – even a Greens senator”.
“She should consider her position, and at least have the decency to renounce the hatred she smiled alongside,” he said.
Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender labelled Faruqi’s post “extremely harmful” and “blatantly antisemitic”.
“It is particularly appalling to see MPs are acting to whip up antisemitic hate here,” she said.
“As leaders, we have a responsibility to unite Australians. We must all come together to stand strong against this hatred.”
Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Henderson said Faruqi “must unreservedly apologise for her role in spreading this disgraceful antisemitic message”, while Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg said Faruqi’s actions “shows we have a massive problem [with antisemitism] in this country”.
A screenshot of the the since-deleted photo posted by Greens Senator for NSW Mehreen Faruqi on Instagram on November 24. The anti-Israel sign is indicated by a blue circle. The students’ faces have been blurred before publishing here.
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