Adelaide City Council slammed for inhumane ‘pro-Hamas’ motion

A respected anti-domestic violence campaigner and councillor has come under fire for a motion urging the government to call for an immediate truce in Gaza.

Leading Jewish community figure Norman Schueler has labelled a motion to be introduced at the Adelaide City Council on Tuesday as “pro-Hamas’’.

The motion, which will be introduced by long-time anti-domestic violence campaigner Arman Abrahimzadeh, calls for the Council to acknowledge “the tragic loss of innocent lives on all sides of the Israel-Palestinian conflict’’ and calls on the Federal government to support an “immediate humanitarian truce’’.

It also asks the Council “as we did for Israel, to light up the Adelaide Town Hall in the Palestinian colours, Red, Black, White and Green’’.

The motion also calls for a vigil to grieve and “pay respect to the many innocent lives lost on all sides of the conflict’’.

However, Mr Schueler said he “viewed that as a pro-Hamas motion’’.

“It is absolutely inhumane the way he has worded it, he should be ashamed of himself,’’ he said.

“There is no mention of Hamas’s torture, there is no mention of the hostages that have been grabbed on the seventh of October and I thought Arman was a wiser man than that.’’

Cr Abrahimzadeh rejected the idea motion was pro-Hamas.

Jewish community leader Norman Schueler. Picture: Salty Dingo

Adelaide City councillor Arman Abrahimzadeh. Picture: Supplied

“For those who understand Middle Eastern politics (I’m referring to Iran backing and supporting Hamas) and are aware that I have and continue to oppose the Iranian regime for its heinous acts toward its people, know that I condemn the action of this terrorist group.’’ he said.

“The intention here is to sympathise with both communities and look for an opportunity to unite the community by way of a vigil or a community gathering,’’ he said.

Adelaide Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith previously voiced opposition to lighting up the Town Hall in Palestinian colours after it was called for by former deputy mayor Houssam Abiad.

Mr Schueler also said while there had not been an overt rise in anti-Semitism in South Australia since October 7, as there has been in other states, he described what he called a “subliminal’’ rise in vilification.

SA Police also confirmed it had “not observed an increase in reports of racially motivated offending or incidents since the commencement of the current conflict’’.

A report in the Australian on Saturday said the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) had logged a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents after Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and taking more than 200 hostages.

The terror attack sparked an Israeli response which has so far claimed an estimated 11,000 Palestinian lives, including 4000 children.

Mr Schueler, an ECAJ board member, said it was “fortunate’’ SA had not witnessed scenes such as those in Melbourne in Friday when pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian forces clashed.

“It is the subliminal anti-Semitism that I have been concerned about,’’ he said. “We have had no contact from the Muslim community, whatsoever.’’

Mr Schueler said many years of working to improve relations between the two communities “had come to naught’’.