Rick

Steven @/snapper7312 commented on my TikTok video of the Sydney Palestine rally for the Global Day for Gaza saying “this is the next target 🎯”. The video features @MehreenFaruqi speaking to the rally and pans around to the crowd showing Arabs and Muslims including women and girls wearing a hijab. This is not only a threat of violence, it is also a terrorist threat. There has been a national discussion about “lowering the temperature” and political violence since the horrific attack on Helen Haines. However many of the politicians, media, police and lobby groups engaging in that discourse are themselves responsible for increasing the temperature through their policies, words and actions. Violent racist and Islamophobic threats and abuse against Arabs, Muslims and anti-genocide allies have increased significantly, with politicians, media, the Zionist lobby and police giving the green light to racists to target our community and those who also oppose Israel’s genocide in Gaza and southern Lebanon. I reported this specific violent threat to the @AusFedPolice however have not heard anything from them and doubt I will. In the past when I have reported racist and Islamophobia threats and abuse, the police have ignored them and victim-blamed me.

A white man used a carriage service to threaten to target @MehreenFaruqi and attendees at a Palestine rally. He left the comment on my TikTok video. I posted about this yesterday, see my previous post. I reported this crime to the AFP and the @IslamophobiaReg. The @IslamophobiaReg acted immediately. The team was brilliant and proactive. However I still have not heard anything from the police. I imagine the response would have been very different if this was a threat by an Arab/Muslim man targeting a pro-Israel/zionist event. There would be an immediate arrest and charges laid, wall to wall media coverage, press conferences and condemnations by politicians, police and lobby groups. However when people of colour, Arabs, Muslims and anti-Zionist Jews are targeted….silence. The double standard is extraordinary and shameful. I have also contacted @MRLMinRes and put questions to them, however have not heard back from them either.