Editorial: No room for hate in our fair nation

Now is the time for all Australians to show restraint, respect and tolerance, and remember just what it is that attracts people to our shores, writes the editor.

Australians like to think of ourselves as a tolerant bunch – and for good reason.

Demographically we changed dramatically after World War II.

From being a primarily Anglo-Celtic society, we welcomed mainly Christian immigrants from southern Europe before throwing the doors open to the rest of the world in the decades that followed.

People of all faiths and ethnicity have made Australia home and they’ve contributed to making our great nation what it is today.

And while new cultures, cuisines and traditions have been embraced, there has been an understanding that ancient feuds should be left behind. And for the most part they have been.

However, since the shocking attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 last year, and the brutal and costly war it sparked, we have seen a rise in anti-Semitism that should worry every Australian.

Of course most of us haven’t noticed this happening. Fewer than 5000 Queenslanders are of the Jewish faith and they have been mainly suffering abuse in silence.

A survey by the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies has revealed that more than 60 per cent of its community had experienced anti-Semitism since the October 7 attacks and almost 90 per cent reported feeling less safe since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Examples reported in The Courier-Mail today are horrifying.

A 13-year-old Jewish boy had a chair pressed against his throat and was called a “kike”.

Two high school students were called “dirty Jews” and told “they should be gassed”.

A Jewish man was spat on during a pro-Palestinian rally at Surfers Paradise.

And another man was assaulted in the heart of Brisbane for wearing a pro-Israel T-shirt.

This isn’t Australia.

Of course we are not saying that the anti-Semitic attacks are all being committed by the state’s 60,000 Muslims.

Indeed, Australia’s Islamic communities have reported a rise in Islamophobia, which we also condemn.

But as we have seen on our university campuses, protests have been hijacked by activists whose sympathy for the Palestinian cause has morphed into a blind rage.

As we report today, some UQ students, staff and alumni have been moved to condemn the institution for its “tacit support” of the protesters.

The letter says “bullying” by the anti-Israel protesters “has reaped their desired results, at great detriment to Jewish staff and students, and others who simply want to participate in higher education and be part of the university’s community”.

“This disparity and failure to recognise the reality of hatred on your campus against Jews and anyone with an opposing view, or just wanting to study without threats, raises deep questions about a commitment to treating all students equitably,” it states.

It is a line in the sand moment not just for the university, but for the state as well.

This conflict is happening thousands of kilometres from our shores and there is little our politicians can do to shape events in the Middle East.

There is even less that the average citizen can do, but that feeling of helplessness should never be allowed to develop into hate.

Now is the time for all Australians to show restraint, respect and tolerance, and remember just what it is that attracts people to our shores in the first place.

TRAGEDY MUST SPARK ACTION ON BRUCE

Unfortunately the terrible tragedy that took place near Townsville on Sunday is the only thing that will make governments sit up and take notice about the state of the Bruce Highway.

Three people are dead and others will be physically and mentally scarred for life after a bus collided with a caravan that appears to have been being towed in the opposite direction.

As shocking as it may be, this incident should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Bruce.

As revealed in The Courier-Mail’s Help Our Highway campaign in April, the vast majority of the 1700km road is rated just two or three stars out of five for safety – as was the section near Gumlu where this tragedy occurred.

Long-distance driving on single-lane highways leaves no margin for error – any mistake can lead to a tragedy, and often does.

Member for Burdekin Dale Last said a metre-wide centre median strip was needed along the full length of the highway.

Everyone knows it will save lives, like it has in NSW where the major highways north and south of Sydney are divided roads all the way to the border.

It just takes political will for it to happen. We continue to wait on both sides of politics to act.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here

Originally published as Editorial: No room for hate in our fair nation