Greens leader Larissa Waters slammed by Labor, Coalition for Manchester attack remarks

2 days ago 4

Greens leader Larissa Waters has been roundly condemned by Labor, the Coalition and Jewish Australians after she claimed the Manchester terror attack proved Australia should have taken stronger action against Israel’s campaign in Gaza, suggesting that pro-Israel governments fuelled violence towards Jews.

Waters was repeatedly asked on Sunday about deaths of two Jews at a UK synagogue on Yom Kippur in an attack by 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie. The incident sparked renewed debate about antisemitism as Israel appeared on the brink of a peace deal with Hamas to bring to an end its war effort, which was labelled a genocide in a landmark United Nations inquiry a fortnight ago.

Senator Larissa Waters displays her Palestine earrings at the Midwinter Ball in Parliament House in August.

Asked about her views on the danger of antisemitism, Waters said, “My heart goes out to the families of those people”, but immediately pivoted to the Albanese government.

“No violence anywhere is acceptable and this is exactly why … Australia should have, two years ago, imposed serious sanctions on the Israeli government,” she said on ABC’s Insiders program. “It is utterly appalling and yet we have been selling weapons to that conflict.”

Waters was interrupted by host David Speers, who said: “I’m asking about antisemitism and a fatal attack on a synagogue in Manchester.”

“We have condemned that,” Waters said. “We need to have social cohesion and part of that is Australia doing what’s necessary to stand up for humanitarian justice, and that’s why we need those sanctions and that’s why we’ve got to stop selling weapons components that are dropping bombs on 12-year-olds.”

Speers interjected: “You keep coming back to the weapons, but my question is about antisemitism.”

Waters responded: “I think the reason why tensions are so inflamed is that we’ve seen a genocide for two years that our government has refused to condemn and, in fact, has been fuelling by sending those weapons.”

The Australian government has repeatedly made clear it does not sell weapons to Israel, labelling the Greens’ claims misinformation. Australian companies do contribute to a global supply chain of parts that go into F-35 jets, along with countries including Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark. Israel owns such jets and has reportedly used them in Gaza.

Waters also questioned the recommendations of Australia’s special envoy against antisemitism, Jillian Segal, contained in a July report, labelling them “bizarre”. Human rights organisations also criticised some of Segal’s urgings.

Labor MP Josh Burns, who is Jewish, said Waters had made “the most deplorable comments by someone who should know better and who’s meant to be leading a major political organisation”.

“I personally found the comments staggering. Either she misspoke or is completely unable to see the danger of excusing the violent murder of two Jewish people by somehow saying that is acceptable due to her opinion of what is going on in Israel,” Burns said.

“By Larissa Waters’ logic, all Jews across the world are legitimate targets because of the actions of the Israeli government.”

Coalition frontbencher James Paterson, a supporter of Israel, said Waters must apologise for her remarks “or it will be further evidence the Greens have learnt nothing about antisemitism.”

“It is completely unhinged to suggest an alleged Islamist terrorist in the UK cares or even knows whether Australia sells arms to Israel or that Jews might be less likely to be murdered while peacefully worshipping if we didn’t. It is callous and cold to resort to standard Israel-Gaza talking points when talking about innocent people being killed for practising their faith,” he said.

Explaining her remarks on Insiders to this masthead after they were made, Waters rejected any mischaracterisation of her words. She said that ASIO had made clear that the war in Gaza was fuelling antisemitism and Islamophobia.

“Australia should have a fully funded antiracism strategy which combats antisemitism and Islamophobia, and Australia should also stop contributing to the genocide. Jewish people deserve to be safe from violence here and abroad, and Palestinians should not be slaughtered in their tens of thousands using weapons that Australia manufactured and sold to Israel,” Waters said in a written statement.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism states that holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel represented a form of prejudice, in the same way that it would be wrong for Russian Australians to be targeted for the invasion of Ukraine. Some academics and commentators, including prominent anti-Zionist Jewish author Peter Beinart, have argued that Israel’s actions in Gaza had made Jews around the world a target.

The Greens lost three of its four lower house MPs at the last election, including its former leader Adam Bandt, as it campaigned hard on Gaza and received criticism from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for sowing division.

Zionist Federation president Jeremy Leibler said Waters’ comments were “some of the most egregious victim-blaming we’ve seen since October 7.”

“She is effectively saying Jews are responsible for their own murders. Trying to score political points when two Jews were murdered on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar is exactly the rhetoric that has fuelled violent antisemitism on our streets.”