‘Globalise the intifada’ event planned for council venue

A group advocating for the right to chant “globalise the intifada” is set to hold an event at a City of Sydney venue, with Jewish leaders decrying the “madness where calls for violence are excused if they come wrapped in a keffiyeh”.

After approaching Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore for comment, a City of Sydney spokesperson confirmed the booking to The AJN while stopping short of addressing community concerns.

“East Sydney Community and Arts Centre is booked for an event on 5 May,” a City of Sydney spokesperson said.

“We are familiar with the hirer as they regularly use our venues for meetings or events. We ask all hirers to make sure they are abiding by our conditions of hire and take appropriate steps to ensure the event is conducted in accordance with the law. While the City of Sydney protects the right to peaceful protest and freedom of speech in Council-owned buildings, we do not tolerate displays of hate or discrimination.”

Activist group Stop The War On Palestine confirmed the event was shifted from its original location at the Darlington Activity Centre. Both venues are managed by the City of Sydney council.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the community was waiting for Moore to explain how an event titled “Globalise the intifada” can go ahead.

“It is easy for political leaders to condemn and commiserate after an attack. It takes leadership to do something to stop it. We’re waiting for Clover Moore’s response,” Ryvchin said.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip warned the event “endangers public safety and so grievously undermines social cohesion”, noting the slogan had already been identified by a parliamentary inquiry as “a call to violence against Jewish Australians”.

“Post 14 December, no one can claim ignorance about where dangerous rhetoric and incitement like this can lead,” Ossip said.

City of Sydney councillor Lyndon Gannon branded the event “gross” and called it “unacceptable that a City of Sydney venue is being used by a group to express opinions that the Premier is saying essentially should be banned”.

The NSW government has yet to introduce promised legislation banning the phrase, despite Premier Chris Minns labelling it “hateful, violent rhetoric” in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

“You’ve seen what the consequences of globalising the intifada are,” Minns said after the attack.

“It’s the deaths of 15 innocent people on the sands of Bondi Beach simply for practising their religion in a peaceful way.”