The Australian government, forced to make a move under pressure from accusations of anti-Semitism

SydneyWhile the causes that led Sijeed and Naveed Akram to shoot into the crowd celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney And after the murder of fifteen people, the political pressure on Anthony Albanese has become suffocating. Amid a media and political storm from political rivals and pro-Israel organizations, the prime minister has announced new measures to reduce the number of weapons, as well as the approval of a controversial plan to combat antisemitism.

Albanian has announced that his government It plans to reduce the arms marketThe government is proposing measures to limit the number of guns per person and implement a buyback program for firearm owners, who, according to the latest figures, own around four million guns nationwide. The Labour government also responded to a controversial report by Jillian Segal, the government's special envoy on antisemitism—an advisory position—in an attempt to quell criticism within the Jewish community. "We will continue working towards the implementation of the 13 recommendations," the prime minister affirmed.

Albanese admitted on Wednesday that "more could have been done" to prevent the attack and that the government now accepts the recommendations made by Segal. Since the publication of his report six months ago, he has faced criticism from lawyers and legal experts for a lack of evidence—there is not a single citation in twenty pages—for having a pro-Israel bias, and because they claim he overstepped his authority.

Among the most controversial proposals, Segal suggests that the Australian government adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism, which includes comparing Israel to the Third Reich or claiming that the State of Israel is racist. "It's very dangerous," said human rights lawyer and director of the Jewish Council, Sarah Schwartz, on a local podcast. "It amounts to equating Jewish identity with support for Israel," she warned.

Another point in the report considers that there is "normalized antisemitism in many university courses." Therefore, it proposes that reports be compiled on each university, and that academics, institutions, students, and guests could lose funding or face legal repercussions if their activities are deemed antisemitic. Furthermore, it stipulates that Segal, through its office, monitor the actions of public media and the arts sector.

Restricting the right to demonstrate

Chris Minns, for his part, premier The Labour Party in New South Wales has called a session of the state parliament next week to push through more restrictive laws on the right to protest. Referring to the protests against the genocide in Gaza, Minns argued that they "trigger things in the community that the organizers can't contain."

This climate of tension has been fueled by figures within the Australian Liberal Party, such as former Prime Minister John Howard, who has called the gun law reform a distraction; former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who attacked Albanesa, claiming that "she has allowed Australia to become radicalized right under her nose"; and current Conservative leader Sussan Ley, under pressure from the party's right wing, as the issue of guns divides the party.

"We call on the Prime Minister to reject those voices seeking to use the response to divide us and advance anti-immigration and pro-Israel agendas," Sarah Schwartz said in a statement.

Accusations of antisemitism

"What we are seeing is that some groups and leaders are sadly capitalizing on this tragedy to advance their political agendas," laments Noura Mansour, national director of Democracy in Colour, a Melbourne-based organization that promotes equality and anti-racism.

This rhetoric has been amplified in Rupert Murdoch's media outlets, such as Sky News and his newspapers – with editorials pointing to activists and influencers for his advocacy for Palestine—but they are not the only ones. Journalist Philip Coorey, in the Australian Financial Review, has accused the prime minister of lacking "moral clarity" after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, because, in his view, he was preoccupied with constituencies with a higher proportion of Muslim voters.

Noura Mansour, a Palestinian and graduate of the University of Haifa, criticizes Australia for lacking a framework to combat racism. In fact, Giridharan Sivaraman, the National Commissioner against Racial Discrimination, has been urging the government for a year to implement the national anti-racism framework, which includes 63 recommendations, such as online protection, as he warns of a rise in antisemitic comments on social media.