I mourn for all victims of terror and racism.

The number of people protesting against the genocide in Gaza could be described as a big wave.

But I wouldn’t call the rise of antisemitism in Australia a big wave, as the right and far-right will have us believe. It is more like a ripple — albeit a deeply worrying one because it could rise into a tsunami if we do not untangle the conflation between Zionism and Judaism and make clear the distinction between the worldwide community of Jews and the State of Israel.

As for Islamophobia we see a king tide unleashed on our shores. To allow neo Nazis to demonstrate in front of the NSW Parliament House with not a word from Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, cannot be excused as an oversight.

When the March for Humanity across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge had to be upheld by the NSW High Court and Segal insinuated the peaceful march was “antisemitic”, claiming it featured terrorist flags, we must not be blind to dark currents that threaten to overwhelm us.

Then came the Bondi Beach attack, where two gunmen targeted a party from the Bondi Jewish community celebrating Chanuka. The first day of the Jewish Festival of Light instantly turned into a Day of Darkness, sending shockwaves around the world.

While condemnation of this gruesome attack and commiseration with the grieving community poured in, a surge of speculation and weaponisation........

© Green Left Weekly