Three Victorian MPs disappointed by antisemitic posts following Jewish engagement party
The Leader of the Victorian Opposition Michael O’Brien has joined State Liberal MPs Neil Angus and David Southwick in thanking the leadership of the Jewish community in Melbourne which has been working tirelessly with the Department of Health to contain the spread of a local outbreak,
Michael O’Brien
The scare has been caused by an engagement party with the Jewish community at which 69 people attended with total disregard of the imposed COVID restrictions.
The three politicians said the leadership had been keeping their communities informed and ensuring local testing is available and assisting with contact tracing. They have responded to a social media post published by a staff member of the Royal Melbounre Hospital advocating that those attending the party should be sent to the “gas chamber”.
In a joint statement, they said: We are all rightfully angry at the news of an illegal gathering in breach of the COVID-19 restrictions that was reported in the media yesterday which contributed to this outbreak. Nobody should be deliberately breaking the law, there should be consequences for those that do, and we understand that this matter has been appropriately referred to the authorities.
It has been equally disappointing to see an outpouring of antisemitic hateful commentary in response. The unacceptable actions of a few do not reflect the wider community who have been following the rules. There is no excuse to use vile hateful language or blindly target innocent businesses or members of the Jewish community.
The Jewish community has always been law-abiding citizens that have made such a significant contribution to our state and like all multicultural and religious groups, should not be targeted for the actions of a few. There is simply no place for abuse, hate, and anti- Semitism. It is unacceptable no matter the circumstances.
Indeed, we commend the Royal Melbourne Hospital for their swift action against a staff member’s antisemitic comment and we call on the government to take appropriate action against others who make threats and peddle such hate.
We are all going through a difficult period with lockdowns and future uncertainty and the last thing we need, in what is already a challenging time for us all, is further division within the community.
We should now turn our focus to ensuring we all stay safe and get on top of this latest outbreak – we encourage anyone living around this current outbreak to get tested if symptomatic or exposed, isolate where required, and vaccinate if eligible.”
