ECAJ statement on antisemitic content at Queensland University of Technology symposium.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has expressed outrage at what it describes as an overtly antisemitic image that was displayed at a so-called “comedy event” at Queensland University of Technology on Wednesday 22 January 2025. Bizarrely, the display was presented as part of a so-called anti-racism symposium.
The image, consisting of a caricature of a superhero comic figure, was labelled “Dutton’s Jew”. A list of supposed statements of belief are attributed to the figure, some of which are grossly racist.
“The image is clearly intended to stigmatise as evil and racist any Jewish person who might support the Coalition”, said ECAJ President Daniel Aghion KC. “It is ironic that such an obvious and disgraceful racist trope has been used at an event that billed itself as an anti-racism symposium.”
“QUT’s leadership have much to answer for. We warned QUT in advance that this symposium was likely to be abused to promote a hateful and extremist agenda that would include antisemitic discourse. We also put them on notice that such behaviour would give further impetus to the spate of violent antisemitic incidents that have recently shocked and disgusted our country. QUT leaders responded with a combination of astonishing ignorance, reckless indifference to consequence, and the usual vacuous platitudes about freedom of expression.”
“We have forwarded details of the incident to the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, which is currently conducting an Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian universities. We expect the Inquiry to require those responsible at QUT for allowing the event to proceed, to attend before the Committee and account for their actions.”
“A steady drip feed of events like these are slowly turning swathes of our universities into propaganda factories instead of places of learning. Freedom of expression does not permit freedom to hate others. That is a simple and basic proposition which the QUT leadership has failed to grasp. People will be forgiven for wondering how much intellectual depth and maturity they can expect from future QUT graduates and how much a QUT degree will be worth.”
