The Australian Prime Minister, the Labor Anthony albanese, announced the creation of a special position to combat anti-Semitism in the oceanic country, which has worsened as a result of the war between Israel and the Islamic terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The appointment of Jillian Segal as "special envoy to combat antisemitism in Australia" responds to a series of recent attacks against Jews, including Labor lawmaker Josh Burns, whose Melbourne office was attacked last month by masked men who set it on fire and they wrote on their walls "Zionism is fascism."
"In Australia there is no place for violence or hatred of any kind," Albanese said in the statement, emphasizing the "decisive step" that his Government is taking "to alleviate tensions" in Australia and defend "social cohesion" in this multicultural country.
The Australian lawyer, who will hold the position for three years, is tasked with listening to Jews and the Australian community in general, as well as experts on religious discrimination, among other functions, to seek mechanisms to help combat anti-Semitism, according to the statement published today by the Canberra Executive.
The appointment of segal to protect Jews in Australia, a community representing 0,4% of the population of more than 26 million, responds to efforts to address the repercussions of the conflict against Hamas in Gaza, which also includes the creation of a similar charge to combat Islamophobia in the coming days.
On the other hand, Albanese stated that his government supports the solution of the creation of two states through a peace agreement and "continues to press for a ceasefire to occur, civilians to be protected, humanitarian aid to reach the Gazans." "They desperately need it and all the hostages are released."
Segal's appointment comes amid strong criticism from a sector of Australian society, including students who took over universities outside, who are demanding more decisive action from Albanese in the face of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Furthermore, last week the Australian senator of Afghan origin Fatima Payman resigned from the Labor Party, after supporting in previous days a motion on the recognition of a non-existent “State of Palestine”, contradicting the position of her party.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article