When
Where
Why
Racism against Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians is being stoked by our elected leaders and elite institutions. Muslims have been violently assaulted in Bankstown and in Melbourne. Muslim school buses have been torched and staff at mosques have been harassed. Palestine advocates have had bombs placed on their cars and have been assaulted.
The Islamophobia Register has recorded over 1,111 cases of anti-Muslim racism since Israel’s genocide on Palestine began in October 2023. The rate is seven times higher than prior to the genocide.
These racist attacks are being fuelled by the anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian policies of mainstream politicians. Israel has murdered at least 70,000 Palestinians, with some estimates at over 300,000. Israeli PM Netanyahu and former defence minister Gallant are facing arrest warrants for war crimes. In response, the Albanese Labor government reiterates Israel’s right to self-defence and demonises the Palestinian resistance. Albanese refused to condemn Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan and has not issued any sanctions on Israeli leaders or ended weapons trade.
All of this normalises the killing of Palestinians. It also dehumanises Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians here in this country. Meanwhile, people who have spoken out about the Israeli genocide have faced silencing, censorship, discipline, loss of jobs and funding. The list includes Antoinette Lattouf, Sara Saleh, Randa-Abdel Fattah, Peter Lalor and Khaled Sabsabi. Teachers and school staff such as Wasim El-Haj and Sheikh Wesam Charkawi have also faced repression. But we are fighting back in schools and through our unions. Sheikh Wesam was reinstated after strong community protests.
Albanese has falsely blamed the Palestine movement for the series of antisemitic attacks over the summer, even though the security agencies confirmed it has nothing to do with the Palestine solidarity movement. The Palestine movement has been demonised by Albanese, Peter Dutton and other Zionists. Albanese singled out the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, claiming that the words are ‘extremely violent’. These smears tap into the racist legacy of the War on Terror, associating Muslims with terrorism, which has fuelled Islamophobia for over twenty years.
Meanwhile, both Albanese and Dutton have downplayed, or even dismissed completely, anti-Muslim attacks. They have been slow to condemn them, if at all.
On top of this, the Albanese government and the NSW Labor government are implementing new ‘hate speech’ laws that aim to severely restrict our right to protest the Israeli genocide. The NSW laws will ban protests near religious institutions, with up to two years jail time as penalty.
All of this has contributed to an atmosphere where racists feel emboldened to attack. We need to stand united against the racism of the government, media and institutions which are fuelling the racist attacks. Teachers for Palestine and a broad coalition of community groups invite you to join us to stand against racism. Enough is enough.
Rally initiated by Teachers and School Staff for Palestine.
Endorsements:
Palestine Justice Movement
Muslim Women Association
Muslim Votes Matter
NSW Greens
The Muslim Vote
Jews Against the Occupation '48
Ziad Basouny - independent for Watson
Ahmed Ouf - independent for Blaxland
Vote for Palestine
Refugee Action Coalition
Maritime Union of Australia - Sydney Branch
National Tertiary Education Union
Stop the War on Palestine
Families for Palestine
Palestinian Australians Welfare Association
Sydney City for Palestine
Sydney Anti Aukus Coalition
Canterbury-Bankstown for Palestine
Conversations for Palestine
Socialist Alliance