Antoinette Lattouf slams ABC bosses Ita Buttrose and David Anderson in a now-deleted social media post

Antoinette Lattouf has doubled down on her criticisms of the ABC over her sacking but has since deleted a post declaring bosses at the broadcaster will resign over the matter.

Sacked ABC radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf has doubled down on her criticism of the ABC, sharing a now-deleted social media post which declared that the broadcaster’s chair Ita Buttrose and managing director David Anderson will be forced to resign over her job termination.

Her latest public attack on the ABC comes just days after she expanded her Fair Work Commission complaint against the taxpayer-funded broadcaster, claiming she was sacked because of her ethnicity and accusing the ABC of discriminating against people of colour.

On Tuesday morning Lattouf, a prolific user of social media, shared on her Instagram account a post by comedian Dan Ilic who wrote: “Let’s remember … Whilst employed by the ABC @antoinette — lattouf merely posted a @humanrightswatch video on her Instagram stories.

“This saga will end up with Ita (Buttrose) and David Anderson resigning because they forgot what their job was.”

An Instagram story that was shared by sacked ABC radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf on her account. Picture: Instagram.

The post was deleted a short time later without any explanation from Lattouf but remains on Ilic’s Instagram account.

Ms Buttrose finishes her five-year tenure at the ABC in March and Mr Anderson’s term was extended last year until 2028.

The Australian revealed Lattouf was sacked by the ABC on December 20 after just her third program filling in on ABC Sydney radio’s mornings program for Sarah Macdonald.

She was dismissed after she shared a series of inflammatory social media posts about the Israel-Gaza war.

Three weeks later, political journalist Nour Haydar, who is of Lebanese heritage, quit the ABC. Upon announcing her resignation, Canberra-based Haydar aired her concerns about the public broadcaster’s treatment of culturally diverse staff and its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

The media union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, expressed solidarity with Lattouf and Haydar, while more than 100 ABC staff met at the media organisation’s Ultimo headquarters in Sydney on Tuesday to voice their concerns “about outside interference, culturally unsafe management practices and to stand up for journalism without fear or favour.”

ABC staff have requested a meeting with Mr Anderson but are yet to hear back from the managing director.

#MEAAmedia members at the ABC today called on managing director David Anderson to urgently meet with staff and address growing concerns about outside interference, culturally unsafe management practices and to stand up for journalism without fear or favour. #PressFreedom… pic.twitter.com/LHomCActtu

— MEAA (@withMEAA) January 16, 2024

Lattouf’s case against the ABC will be heard at the FWC on Thursday before deputy president Gerard Boyce.

It is unclear whether Lattouf will attend the hearing.

In Lattouf’s FWC claim she alleges she was unlawfully terminated for breaching the ABC’s social media guidelines after sharing a post by Human Rights Watch about the war that read: “The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza.”

Lattouf, a Lebanese-Australian, is being represented by Maurice Blackburn’s employment lawyer principal Josh Bornstein. The firm declined to comment on Lattouf’s deleted social media post on Tuesday.

Lattouf is publicly calling for donations via a GoFundMe page to help raise money for her legal fees. On Tuesday she posted on social media: “Lattouf v ABC. Crowd-funding for my legal fees. #NoFearNoFavour.”

She has so far received more than 680 donations worth more than $29,400.

A Maurice Blackburn spokesman said Lattouf’s “crowd-funding call was put up long before we got involved.”

Lattouf was contacted for comment but did not respond to questions.

Mr Bornstein said last week his client’s legal claim had been changed to outline further claims as to why her five-day stint as a fill-in presenter ended prematurely.

“The claim has now been amended to reflect that Antoinette Lattouf alleges that she was sacked by the ABC because she expressed a political opinion and also because of her race,” he said.

“Since October 7 and the ensuing conflict in the Middle East, it has become notorious in the media industry that Arab and Muslim journalists are being intimidated, censored and sacked. “In this case we will show that the ABC has not sacked white journalists for expressing political opinion, even where those journalists worked in news and current affairs.”

Lattouf has also repeatedly questioned the “gas the Jews” footage that went viral from Sydney’s Opera House after the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year and she said it was unverified content.

She wrote on TikTok: “A horrendously offensive video went viral. Nobody can verify it. Those who posted it won’t respond to my questions.”