Standing against hate
Held on the Federation Mall lawns in front of Parliament House, the event marked one year since the Hamas-led atrocities last October 7.
Former political opponents Tony Abbott and Mike Kelly stood shoulder to shoulder in support of the Jewish community and Israel at the Never Again is Now (NAIN) rally in Canberra on Monday.
Held on the Federation Mall lawns in front of Parliament House, the event marked one year since the Hamas-led atrocities last October 7.
Addressing the several hundred present, Abbott, who is the patron of NAIN, made special mention of Kelly’s presence.
“He and I were on the other side of the aisle in Parliament, but on this issue, [he is] a brave man whose voice deserves to echo right around our country and beyond,” Abbott said.
“You’ve shown real moral courage to be here, Mike, and I very much admire you for it.”
Introduced by NAIN co-founder Freya Leach as “somebody who has shown immense courage”, a modest Abbott said, “All I’ve done is stand up for what I think is almost self-evident, and that is the decency of the Jewish people, the right of Israel to exist, to defend itself and the importance of democracy, standing together at an incredibly difficult time.”
Persian community representative Daniel Taghaddos, from the MehrEran Foundation, said he wanted to convey “our message of solidarity and peace with the Jewish community”.
“We are faced with barbarism and savagery, and we have been for 45 years. With our first-hand experience of facing such ideology and in being victims of terrorism and hostage taking, we could not remain silent,” he said.
Addressing the spike in antisemitism, Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie called on “silent Australians” to “stand up, to speak out, to take action”.
She also pledged the Coalition’s “full support and solidarity”.
Similarly, Liberal Senator Claire Chandler questioned the seriousness of the world’s promise to the Jewish people of “never again” after the Holocaust.
“There were some, including in Australia, whose words and actions following the events of October 7 were outright disrespectful and outright antisemitism,” she said.
“We cannot afford for this type of mentality to take hold, to sit back and to say nothing.”
Former ACT Liberal government minister Bill Stefaniak, Christian educator Dave Pellowe, Australian Christian Lobby CEO Michelle Pearse, and two ANU students – one Jewish, one non-Jewish – were among the other speakers.
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