Perth anti-Semite charged over YouTube videos

May 13, 2009 by J-Wire Staff
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Perth police have charged a man in relation to the posting of antisemitic videos on YouTube.

Footage shot by 39-year-old Brendan O’Connell sent waves of anguish throughout the city’s 9,000 strong Jewish community.

Brendan O'Connell with text - YouTube still

Brendan O'Connell with text - YouTube still

O’Connell, who is very articulate, took his viewers on a trip across the Swan River to a demonstration in South Perth being held by the Friends of Palestine,  protesting outside an IGA supermarket selling Israeli Jaffa oranges. O’Connell told his “viewers” that he was hoping to find some Jews at the scene…and he did. He videoed himself harrassing two young Jewish men and creating an argumentative situation.

Keith Shilkin, President of the Jewish Community Council of Western Australia, told  J-Wire: “News of the video on YouTube swept through the community causing great concern. Children at the Carmel Jewish day school have had counselling sessions…but we have had close liasons with the police who became quickly aware of the situation.”

The leader of the Friends of Palestine has distanced his group from O’Connell, breaking any association with the video-maker. Shilkin told J-Wire that whereas the Friends of Palestine had been very outspoken on their views of Israel and its politics, they had not entered into any anti-Jewish propaganda and had been of no trouble to the local community. He added: “The man has been a serial pest but the community was not overtly aware of him.”

O’Connell is only the second person to be charged under Western Australia’s anti-vilification laws. The charges relate to conduct intended to incite racial animosity or racist harrassment and carry a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.

Comments

3 Responses to “Perth anti-Semite charged over YouTube videos”
  1. Sandy says:

    The Friends of Palestine people, whether through malice or stupidity, are actively working to destroy the only homeland that the Jewish people have had for 2,000 years. O’Connell, who is one of them, has simply taken it to its logical extreme. Is that not “anti-Jewish” enough for the politically-correct crowd?

    Perhaps when the Friends of Palestine start painting a Star of David on shops that sell Israeli goods, the Jewish apologists for them will wake up…

  2. Sandy says:

    “Shilkin told J-Wire that whereas the Friends of Palestine had been very outspoken on their views of Israel and its politics, they had not entered into any anti-Jewish propaganda and had been of no trouble to the local community.”

    Shilkin clearly doesn’t have a clue… The Friends of Palestine is actively “anti-Jewish”…

  3. benji simai says:

    it was ridiculously stupid to answer his questions. it is what he wants you to do. if someone has a camera annd asks you questions like that and you answer them, with the latest technology they can make you look stupid, racist and anti goi. they can pull out lines and make them sound anti goi when they are out of context. you saw how he turned the sound down when the jewish guy had a good rebutal you saw how he put words on the screen to make us look anti goi. you heard how he stated the line kill the best anti goi. that line was taken out of context. the context was that if you are at war or being attacked by goi’s you should kill their best person. they make us look racist and anti goi. this gives us a shocking reputation.

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