Cops reveal there is no evidence ‘gas the jews’ was shouted at pro-Palestine Sydney Opera House protest: This is the intimidating phrase yelled out instead
A police investigation has found no evidence that the anti-Semitic phrase “gassing the Jews” was shouted during a wild protest at the Sydney Opera House, a NSW Police investigation has found.
Instead, the menacing phrase “where are the Jews” was shouted – but detectives were unable to identify the exact perpetrator, said Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon.
Edited footage purporting to show protesters chanting “gas the Jews” was shared with news organizations by the Australian Jewish Association after the brief rally on the steps of the Opera House on October 9.
The demonstration was sparked by a decision to burn the Opera House’s sails in the colors of the Israeli flag following the Hamas attack that sparked the latest Israeli-Gaza conflict.
The apparent use of the crudely offensive phrase led to widespread condemnation and changes to hate crime laws.
There were scenes of chaos as the demonstration was hijacked by radical Muslims – some wearing black masks – under the steps of the Opera House (pictured)
But Lanyon said in a statement that after an “independent forensic analysis of audio-video files of the demonstration provided to investigators, police have no evidence that this term was used.”
“Police also obtained statements from several individuals who attended the protest indicating that they heard the phrase, but these statements did not attribute the phrase to any specific individual.”
Commenting, Alex Ryvchin, co-executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told Sky News Australia that the issue at hand “is not the precise wording.”
“A violent gang of thugs gathered at one of our most beloved locations to burn the Israeli flag… and direct hatred, abuse and threats at their fellow Australians.”
He agreed with host Laura Jayes’ comment that the protesters were not chanting “where are the Jews… to give them a hug.”
“Whether it was about the Jews, whether it was about gassing the Jews … it’s about the sentiment,” Mr. Ryvchin said.