The Gold Coast has seen a shocking display of hate with posters showing Nazi hate symbols and yellow Stars of David placed opposite one of Queensland’s Jewish temples.
Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies President Jason Steinberg said the perpetrators who chose to peddle their hate and racist beliefs during a period when the community was commemorating Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, was sickening.
“To see this kind of blatant antisemitism and stereotyping on the Gold Coast in May 2022 is shocking and disgraceful,” Mr Steinberg said.
“The use of these kinds of hate symbols should be a criminal offence and we hope the Queensland Government moves quickly to make this happen as part of their review into hate crime and vilification,” he said.
“There is also no room in our society for people to use antisemitic stereotypes like those seen in the posters. Under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, of which Australia is a signatory, it is antisemitic to make stereotypical allegations about the power of Jews as a collective — such as Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
“To see antisemitism anywhere is unacceptable; to see it outside a Jewish house of worship during the time that we commemorate the murder of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust is disgraceful. This sort of hatred is of grave concern to our Jewish community, but it should be of equal concern to not only Gold Coast residents, but to all Australians who value tolerance, acceptance and the right to live freely – without being attacked and victimised.”