‘Dumb white dogs’: Melbourne radio station and wine bar under fire for pro-Palestine protest banner-making event

A popular Melbourne wine bar has come under fire after images of a poster reading “dumb white dogs” went viral online.

Attendees made pro-Palestine banners that members of Melbourne's Jewish community say are anti-Semitic.

A Melbourne wine bar and community radio station have come under fire for hosting a pro-Palestine event that saw participants make protest banners describing Israelis as “dumb white dogs”.

Indigenous group This Mob Arts Collective organised the banner-making workshop at Hope St Radio on Monday afternoon, ahead of a protest schedule for later today.

The community station is based in a wine bar and restaurant within an arts and community hub called Collingwood Yards in the city’s inner north.

Images from the event show signs being painted that have now been deemed offensive by members of Melbourne’s Jewish community.

Attendees made pro-Palestine banners that members of Melbourne's Jewish community say are anti-Semitic.

One reads: “Free Palestine from the colonising dumb white dogs!! Abolish Israel!! Pussy ass baby killing bitch ass Bibi.”

Bibi is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname.

Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, slammed the poster’s open call for the “destruction of the Jewish state”.

“I never thought I would see such hate-fuelled events taking place in the country that I love, and the ripple effects of such demonisation are being felt deeply by us,” Dr Abramovich said.

“This venomous poster, calling for Israel to be erased, fans the flames of hostility at a dangerous time when anti-Semitism in Australia is skyrocketing, when young Jewish students are being called ‘bombers’ and are harassed schools and when Jews are singled out for abuse online.

“Words matter and such incitement can lead to verbal and physical attacks and those who crafted the banner bear responsibility.

“It is hard to escape the conclusion that these individuals are excusing the beheading of Israeli babies, the raping of women and the execution of entire families by the Hamas terrorists. This is demonisation of the worst kind and deserves condemnation.”

Another banner made at the event.

An image of the banner was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Peter Horovitz – a Melbourne-based management consultant who describes himself as a “proud Zionist and fighter of anti-Semitism”.

“Just a wine bar in Collingwood calling for the destruction of #Israel and the extermination of 7m #Jews,” Mr Horovitz wrote. “It’s called Hope St Radio. I won’t be going.”

Other banners made carried the pro-Palestine slogan “from the river to the sea”, which refers to the goal of liberating the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean.

When the images of the “dumb white dog” and “abolish Israel” remarks began circulating online, Hope St Radio issued a statement in response to “a number of reviews and messages accusing us of anti-Semitism”.

“Hope St Radio should be a place that all people feel welcome and safe,” it read.

“Many members of our immediate and more broad communities are Jewish and we treasure our relationships with them. Hope St Radio whole heartedly condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all racism, bigotry and systems of oppression.

“This is why we are proud to stand in solidarity with our First Nations neighbours, with our grieving Arab and Jewish friends, and with all of those calling for an end to the violence in occupied Palestine.”

Dr Abramovich said the “so-called apology” was “deeply disappointing”.

“You cannot reject anti-Semitism while not rejecting the poisonous sentiments of the banner. How do they expect their Jewish employees to feel safe in the workplace. This is not good enough.”

Hope St Radio’s statement sparked upset in the comments, with one asking how Hope St’s Jewish staff might feel “about coming to work now knowing that you supported these ‘paintings’”.

“Food has this wonderful ability to bring people together,” another wrote. “A missed opportunity to create an event that called for peace, unity and open/ safe conversation. The last thing we need is division – especially were we eat.”

Hope St Radio issued a statement saying it supports the Jewish community.

Another said: “Really disappointed. This apology is as dry as your cheesecake.”

Some others in the comments were supportive and expressed solidarity with the cause.

The Hamas-Israel conflict and pro-Palestine protests in Australia have heightened tensions here, with Dr Abramovich receiving multiple reports of threats, intimidation and violence against Jewish people.

“In the 37 years I’ve lived in Australia, I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “I never thought I’d see these kinds of things – people chanting ‘gas the Jews’ and open calls for the destruction of Israel.

“People are afraid. They’re very afraid to be Jewish at the moment.”

The Anti-Defamation Commission has received multiple reports of mezuzahs being ripped from the doorframes of Jewish front doors in Melbourne in recent weeks.

A mezuzah is a small case that contains a tiny scroll of parchment inscribed with a prayer from the Torah and is hung on the doors of homes.

“It’s a symbol of Jewish faith and is a hallmark of a Jewish home,” Dr Abramovich said. “It’s either their neighbours or people walking around Jewish neighbourhoods looking for them.”

Pete Baxter and Jack Shaw run Hope St Radio in Melbourne.

This Mob promoted the banner-making workshop on its social media channels, writing: “Here and in Palestine, Indigenous peoples are mourning the ongoing and unrelenting violence of settler colonialism.

“As Indigenous peoples, we are united with our Palestinian siblings in our collective fights against settler colonialism.

Following the controversy, it called for its supporters to “go and show Hope St some love”.

“They’re so supportive of us and are copping it for hosting our banner painting,” an Instagram story read.

A post sharing the image on Reddit quickly went viral, with commenters slamming the conduct of attendees.

“White privilege on its finest display,” one wrote. “You get to make uneducated historical statements, from such a comfortable position and face little to no repercussion for it.”

“61% of the Israeli Jewish population are descendants from Mizrahi Jews, the ones exiled from Arab nations from the 1940s to 1950s,” another said. “So the idea that all Jewish Israelis are European ‘colonialists’ is comical.

“Not to mention 20% of Israeli citizens are Arabs with full citizenship rights as any other Israeli. Seriously so many uninformed people.”

This afternoon’s protest is organised by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance and Free Palestine Melbourne and will take place on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament at 4pm.

“Around the world First Nations communities and Palestinian communities are hurting,” the groups wrote.

“But in the face of ongoing injustice and genocide, we will not be silent. We will come together. We will rise up condemn Israel‘s ongoing genocide and Australia’s complicity and support of Israel.”