A community radio station and wine bar have found themselves in hot water after hosting a pro-Palestine event with a banner calling Israelis “stupid white dogs.”
First Nations group This Mob Arts Collective organized the banner-making workshop in Melbourne’s inner west on Monday afternoon.
It was presented by Hope St radio, a community radio station based in a wine bar and restaurant in an arts and community center called Collingwood Yards.
The posters were painted and laid out for a protest in support of Palestinians that was due to take place in the city on Wednesday.
Footage and photos from the event where attendees made signs began circulating on social media.
A community radio station has come under fire after hosting a pro-Palestine event for an indigenous group that set up banners with vile anti-Semitic statements
The banners were pro-Palestine, but some contained vile anti-Semitic attacks against Israelis.
One poster read: ‘FREE PALESTINE FROM THE COLONIZING STUPID WHITE DOGS!!’
‘Abolish ISRAEL!! P***YA** BABY KILLS B***HA** BIBI!!”
Bibi is the nickname of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Another banner bore the slogan: ‘From the river to the sea.’ This refers to the goal of liberating the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
The group’s actions were roundly condemned.
The chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dvir Abramovich, destroyed the contents of the main poster.
“All the moral guardrails we took for granted have fallen away and it is no surprise that the Jewish community feels under siege and under attack,” Dr Abramovich told Daily Mail Australia.
“Such ugly and overt expressions of anti-Semitism, which cross all red lines, tear apart the values we hold dear as Australians.
“I never thought I would see such hate-fueled events unfold in the country I love, and the ripple effects of such demonization are deeply felt by us.
“This toxic poster, calling for the erasure of Israel, is fanning the flames of hostility at a dangerous time when anti-Semitism is skyrocketing in Australia.”
The banners were painted and put up for a protest in support of Palestinians that was due to take place in the city on Wednesday
Another banner bore the slogan: ‘From the river to the sea.’ This refers to the goal of liberating the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea
Others have criticized the group and the station on social media.
“Extremely shameful racism, as more than three million Mizrahi Jews call Israel their home – they are descended from Jewish communities expelled from Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, Libya etc,” wrote Politics activist Drew Pavlou on X.
One man said: ‘Just a wine bar in Collingwood Victoria calling for the destruction of #Israel and the extermination of 7 million #Jews.’
‘It’s called Hope St Radio. I’m not going to #stopwhatred.’
“I don’t post that often, but some things are too disgusting to ignore,” said another.
‘I saw this on social media today. Hope st radio cafe in Collingwood, Melbourne. Spreading hate and anti-Semitism,” a third added.
‘Shocking! Too bad Hope St Radio is organizing this event!’ said another user on Facebook.
Hope St Radio later responded to the controversial signage created in their studio.
Following the intense backlash against the group and the radio station, Hope St Radio released a statement online
“Hope St Radio should be a place where all people feel welcome and safe,” the statement read.
“Many members of our immediate and wider communities are Jewish and we cherish our relationships with them. Hope St Radio strongly condemns anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all racism, bigotry and systems of oppression.
“This is why we are proud to stand in solidarity with our First Nations neighbors, with our grieving Arab and Jewish friends, and with all who call for an end to violence in occupied Palestine.”
“This is why we are proud to stand in solidarity with our First Nations neighbors, with our grieving Arab and Jewish friends, and with all who call for an end to violence in occupied Palestine.”
Dr. Abramovich branded Hope St radio’s ‘so-called apology’ as ‘very disappointing’.
The Anti-Defamation Commission has received six reports of mezuzahs being removed from the front doors of properties in Melbourne in the past month.
A mezuzah is a small, decorative box containing a piece of parchment engraved with Hebrew verses from the Torah and placed on the doors of homes.
The committee has also received reports that Jewish children are being bullied in schools as a result of the conflict. Children are called ‘bombers’.