AFOPA Statement on Anti-Semitism
AFOPA rejects anti-Semitism and other forms of racism. AFOPA exists to support the aspirations of Palestinians for justice, equality and human rights.
AFOPA advocates a peaceful path towards a future of justice, equality and security for both Israelis and Palestinians based on international law and UN resolutions.
Regarding the definition of anti-Semitism, we do not endorse the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism as its effect will be to silence valid criticism of Israel and its supporters. We see its adoption by governments and other organisations as an attack on the right to free speech for all Australians. We note that Jewish community leaders continue to push for the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, ostensibly to fight racism, while invariably defending Israel which practices racism. We believe existing laws protect Jews and others from violence, incitement to violence, vandalism and discrimination. Similarly, the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, launched in 2021 by an international consortium of 200 leading scholars, is a more nuanced set of constraints on free speech and debate.
We do not observe a global crisis of anti-Semitism but rather an increasing crisis of legitimacy for Israel as its policies and apartheid nature become more apparent.
We see campaigns to ban pro-Palestinian politics in France, to criminalise Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activities in Britain and even to have anti-Zionism classified as terrorism in the United States. All of these measures deny citizens in those countries the right to criticise Israel, like any other state, and to engage in peaceful campaigns similar to those which ended apartheid in South Africa.
We believe free speech is absolutely fundamental to a free society and that the best remedy for those offended by the statements of others is to publicly debate them.
