Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Next week the Combat Antisemitism Movement, CAM, which has links to the Israeli military and the far right, is hosting a summit on the Gold Coast. Politicians, public servants, mayors and councillors—sadly, from across Australia—will attend this summit.

The Greens and I have long called out racism in all its forms, including right-wing extremism and Neo-Nazism. However, this summit is not what it appears. Its main objective is to push a pro-Israel agenda and the implementation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, a tool used to punish those who criticise Israel and stand with Palestine. If it were genuine, Jewish Australians of all political persuasions and views on Israel would be attending. CAM is not an anti-racist organisation. It is not an anti-hate organisation. In fact, it's the opposite.

Last month, CAM honoured a Florida congressman who called for the streets of Gaza to 'overflow with blood' and recently told Gazans to 'just starve'. Hundreds of community members have written letters to their councillors to not attend the summit. Leaders from the Australian Services Union, Democracy in Colour, the Jewish Council of Australia, Jewish Voices of Inner Sydney and Greens councillors have called for a boycott of the conference because it is a pro-Israel political junket by an organisation that is funded by republican mega donors and is linked to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs a grotesque hunger games-type operation where hundreds of starving Palestinians have been killed. It is beyond belief that the Human Rights Commissioner is set to speak at the summit organised by genocide apologists. We must tackle racism in all its forms, and at its very core, but shielding Israel when it is committing genocide against Palestinians just weaponises racism.