A group representing Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim communities have lodged a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission claiming Peter Dutton has engaged in racial vilification and discrimination. Kim Wingerei reports.
The legal action requests a public apology from Mr Dutton and rectifications and compensation for affected communities. Lawsuits cannot be brought directly to Court under the Racial Discrimination Act and must start in the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Led by Professor Peter Slezak, an Australian Jewish academic and Palestinian advocate Nasser Mashni, the action accuses Dutton of dehumanising Palestinians, Muslims, and Jews while stigmatising Australians who support Palestinian rights.
The legal action states that Mr Dutton’s comments contradict Australia’s obligations under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute, particularly in relation to preventing genocide and protecting refugees.
Additionally, the legal action states that Mr Dutton’s public comments have led to increased vilification of Palestinians, including targeted harassment and hate crimes against peaceful protesters intimidating Jewish and other Australians supporting the Palestinian rights movement.
Principal Solicitor at Birchgrove Legal, representing the community groups, Moustafa Kheir, said: “Mr Dutton’s words had normalised anti-Palestinian hate and dehumanising rhetoric.”
“Mr Dutton’s pattern of spreading disinformation to justify the demonisation and oppression of a people facing plausible genocide is not only in poor taste but a violation of human rights,” Mr Kheir said.
This legal action seeks to ensure that political leaders are held accountable for their words and actions,
and that we are all prescribed to the same judicial system despite our cultural background, privilege or faith.”
The allegations contain 22 incidents against Dutton, including various misleading and false claims, encouraging violence and deportation and denials of atrocities.
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Open in new tab Professor Slezak said it was abhorrent for a national leader to engage in such divisive public commentary, fully understating the racial tensions it could breed. “Mr Dutton is using the same ‘security threat’ language against Palestinians that was once used to demonise Jewish people before the Holocaust—and worse, he claims to do this in our name,” Mr Slezak said.
Like many Jewish Australians, I grieve the atrocities Israel is committing against Palestinians and we will not be intimidated into silence.
Hardman Netanyahu a century out of date, feeding Dutton’s colonial narrative.
