Dreyfus reveals antisemitic abuse

Over 20,000 submissions have been received by the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, including from Isaacs MP Mark Dreyfus, detailing antisemitic abuse levelled against him, and recommendations for law reform.

The former Attorney-General told The AJN it was important that the Royal Commission heard from all kinds of Australians.

“I thought it was important for me to contribute both as a Jewish Australian and as a member of Parliament,” he said.

“My father and his father came to Australia, fleeing Nazi persecution. My great-grandparents perished in the Holocaust. That history has shaped my life and shaped my public service.

“Australia gave my family refuge and I want Australia to remain a country where Jewish Australians and all Australians can live safely and equally. And it carries an obligation to name antisemitism clearly to confront it early. To ensure that no Australian feels that their place here is conditional.”

Dreyfus said prior to October 7, 2023 it was rare for him to receive antisemitic abuse, but after October 7 it dramatically increased.

“I’ve been in public life for nearly two decades. I was elected to The House of Representatives on in November 2007, and I do not confuse strong criticism with antisemitism…  But since the 7th of October, I have received abuse directed at me because I am Jewish. And that up until that point had been a very, very rare thing… It’s included abuse in public, abuse online, abuse at my electorate office, in the street, at meetings online and that’s confronting.  It’s a reminder that antisemitism has risen in Australia and that’s not the Australia we want.”

Those antisemitic incidents included being called a “Kapo”, and his Mordialloc electorate office vandalised with red paint with the words: ‘Who does AG Mark Dreyfus serve?’

His submission stated, “Such a question is not merely a form of criticism. It deliberately invokes one of the most persistent antisemitic ideas: that a Jewish person in public life has dual loyalty, a hidden allegiance, and that their service to Australia is open to suspicion because they are Jewish.”

Discussing the normalisation of antisemitic rhetoric, he shared, “I do think it’s alarming what we’ve seen since October 7th, the speed with which antisemitic language has entered ordinary public discussion. It’s deeply concerning, it’s destructive, it’s dangerous, and I think we’ve seen too many times over the last two or three years the willingness of some people to excuse antisemitism to minimise antisemitism to politicise antisemitism, and we’ve used it in dreadful ways for division rather than bringing us together.”

He called for an extension of hate speech laws “to create a broader offence that does not require elements of violence or threatening force.”

Dreyfus added, “Throughout the debate on hate speech laws experts and officials have repeatedly provided evidence that some groups are acutely aware of the legal threshold and use that grey zone to recruit, socialise and normalise extremist beliefs.”

Asked about the lack of enforcement of hate speech laws, Dreyfus commented, “It’s not just about the frequency with which they are used or the number of times you get a court decision, the mere fact that the laws exist sets a standard in our community.”

He also supported the Government’s plan to legislate a Digital Duty of Care later this year and recommended it to include a private right of action.

“The notion behind the digital duty of care is simply that online platforms have become places where hate spreads quickly, where all sorts of misinformation, most of it unfiltered, all sorts of hatred, all sorts of vilification is made to feel normal, and the platforms design these systems. The platforms decide what’s promoted, what’s shared, what’s amplified. Old media… newspapers, radio stations, TV stations have to meet certain standards. All that the digital duty of care is about is saying online means of communication should also be required to meet standards that they’re not exempt just because the harm occurs online,” he said.

In addition to the creation of a National Firearms Register, Dreyfus wrote consideration should be given to “tightening restrictions on general firearms ownership”.

As to whether he believes there has been a wakeup call about antisemitism in Australia in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre he said, “There is now a wider recognition of the threats that Jewish Australians face, and I think and hope that that recognition of the threat that is faced by Jewish Australians leads to sustained action.”

You can read Mark Dreyfus’ submission to the Royal Commission here.