NSW treasurer declares ‘intifada’ protest chant is hate speech

The chief minister of Sydney’s Great Synagogue, Rabbi Benjamin Elton, said at an interfaith memorial at St Mary’s Cathedral on Wednesday evening that the phrase calls for violence against Jews.

“We can have all the political disagreements in the world, and we should be able to express them reasonably, but hateful rhetoric has to stop,” he said. “Let no one deny what globalise the intifada means. It means Jewish blood on the sands of Bondi Beach.”

Palestine Action Group organiser Josh Lees said labelling the word intifada as hate speech was “ridiculous, ignorant and offensive”.

“The word literally means ‘shaking off’, and refers to the efforts of Palestinians, through mass protests and uprisings, to shake off the illegal occupation and apartheid racist policies that the state of Israel imposes on the Palestinian people,” Lees said.

A flag evoking the colours and design of the Hezbollah flag flown at a Sydney protest.Credit: Janie Barrett

“Banning it in Australia is the equivalent of banning expressions of solidarity with the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.”

Lees said he did not believe the phrase had been chanted at any of the group’s dozens of rallies through Sydney’s CBD since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza. He said the Bondi Beach attack was being “exploited” by those wanting to silence his movement.

Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said the phrase could not be considered hate speech under existing state laws because many considered it a legitimate form of political expression calling for nonviolent resistance against Israel’s occupation.

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A multimillion-dollar joint state and federal funding package for victims of the attack and the broader Jewish community was outlined on Thursday and includes direct support for victims and local businesses.

Mookhey said victims and families of the deceased would receive $75,000, and the government would cover funeral and burial arrangements.

Jewish community organisations will receive $2 million to support victims’ families, and a $3.6 million package will go towards six recovery officers who will work with impacted families.

Legal Aid and Disaster Response Legal Services will receive $1 million to provide legal services, and Jewish organisations providing mental health triage will also receive $1 million.

Small businesses in the immediate vicinity will receive up to $25,000 in grants. A $1.5 million boost will be provided for security at Jewish community locations, and Waverley Council will receive $1 million for clean-up efforts and community events.

More coverage on the Bondi terrorist attack

• Three days after: What we know about the Bondi terrorist attack
• The victims: ‘Too big for this world’: The father who died a hero at Bondi and ‘went down fighting’ gunman
• Analysis: Police were young and outgunned: Where was the back-up at Bondi?
• Guns in Sydney: The Sydney suburbs with the most guns, as overall numbers rise