Greens deputy leader shares terror song on instagram
Robert Gregory said songs glorifying terrorists and promoting violence have no place in Australian politics.
Deputy Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi has dug in her heels after her Instagram account shared a story with a song that celebrates terrorism.
The instagram story, which was re-shared by Faruqi, features an image of her standing at a rally in front of Palestinian and Lebanese flags and an image of a Greens how-to-vote card. It is tagged “Vote for Palestine”, “#1 Greens” and “@mehreenfaruqi And The Greens Standing Up For Palestine”.
The backing song, whose name translates to “Come on, walk with us to Palestine”, was created during the Gaza “Marches of Return” in 2018. The song encourages aggression against Israel, calls for martyrdom and praises the Hamas incendiary balloons unit “Sons of Zuwairi”.
The lyrics include the lines “We strike with the Shahadi [martyrs], the Army of Mohammed in the squares” and “In my country there is no empowerment except for the mujahideen”.
Spokesperson Sophie Calland of the political group Better Australia, who first raised the alarm over the instagram story, said, “Mehreen Faruqi’s video makes it crystal clear the stakes could not be higher for the Jewish community and for Australia.
“That’s why the Jewish community, more than most understand why the Greens should be put last this election.”
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council research associate Dr Ran Porat said choosing a song which supports violence and hate and expresses support for terror was “unfortunate and disturbing”.
“Similar songs are popular amongst anti-Israel activists, and definitely do not lead to reconciliation and peace,” he said.
“Employing them as a political tool in Australia’s democratic elections sows division, undermines our social cohesion and represents an affront to the Jewish community.”
Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory said songs glorifying terrorists and promoting violence have no place in Australian politics.
“Senator Mehreen Faruqi’s history of anti-Israel extremism, reinforced by this latest incident, demonstrates that she is unfit to serve in parliament,” he said.
“Once again, the Greens have shown the threat they pose to Australia’s social cohesion. It is incomprehensible that the Labor Party continues to preference the Greens.”
Asked if she regretted sharing the video, a spokesperson for Senator Faruqi told The AJN, “The story you’re referring to was re-shared from a member of the public, not created by Senator Faruqi’s office. The song is not known to us and suggestions otherwise are absurd.
“Further, Senator Faruqi will not be intimidated by the continued smear campaigns. She will continue to stand firm against racism, the far-right, and in defence of human rights.”
comments