Climate 200 staffer calls for boycott of Israeli businesses

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A Climate 200 staffer has called for the boycott of Israeli businesses, as teal MPs worry that being linked with the progressive funding outfit that helped get them elected is now diminishing their brand by undermining their status as independents.

The contentious remarks from Climate 200 staffer Sean Marsh show the potential for teal MPs, particularly those representing electorates with large Jewish communities, to face unwanted scrutiny through their association with the fundraising powerhouse.

Climate 200 staffer Sean Marsh appears in some of the group’s most prominent social media posts.Credit:

Marsh, who appears in some of Climate 200’s most prominent social media posts and is a “creative strategist” for the organisation, said on Instagram in October 2024: “The horrors I’ve seen perpetrated on Palestinians, and now the Lebanese, will likely haunt me forever. I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau years ago. It changed me then, and this has changed me again.”

Later in the post, Marsh wrote: “I urge you all to boycott all Israeli businesses and write to your local MP demanding action. If they’re complicit, promise to never vote for them again #FreePalestine #FreeLebanon”.

The movement to boycott Israeli businesses has been rejected by many mainstream political figures, including the prime minister, who opposed the movement at the same time as he was advocating for Palestinian statehood earlier in his career.

Independent MP Zoe Daniel, who has a large Jewish community in her seat of Goldstein and is in a tight race with Liberal candidate Tim Wilson, said it was “up to Climate 200 to manage its staff”.

She said she had never supported the boycott of Israeli businesses. “Penalising innocent Jewish people and businesses due to a war that is not in their control is completely wrongheaded,” Daniel said. “I do have businesses in my electorate and individual contractors who have been discriminated against since October 7 simply because they are Jewish owned. This is completely unacceptable, and it must stop.”

A Climate 200 spokesman said of Marsh: “The views expressed by this individual do not reflect the views of Climate 200.” Marsh did not respond to a request for comment, but made his Instagram account private.

Allegra Spender, the teal MP for Wentworth in Sydney’s east, said: “My views on the conflict overseas and my support for the Jewish community are very clear and on the record. Climate 200 and their staff have no influence over my policy positions”.

Supporters of the “boycott, divestment and sanctions” movement argue it is an essential tactic to pressure Israel to stop mistreating Palestinians.

Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict, in which Gazan health authorities say more than 60,000 people have been killed.

Israel has denied those accusations.

Marsh’s post has surfaced at a time when teal MPs are also quietly frustrated with Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes à Court, who irritated the independents by delivering a National Press Club speech naming target seats, revealing polling and talking about support for new candidates – functions usually performed by political parties.

Simon Holmes à Court’s decision to deliver a prominent address to the press club irritated independent MPs he helped get elected.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The MPs – all of whom had successful professional careers before politics – are annoyed that Holmes à Court has taken attention away from the parliamentarians his group has backed and fuelled what they say is a false perception that they are beholden to him and the group’s executive director, Byron Fay.

Climate 200-backed MPs who spoke to this masthead anonymously so they could be frank argued that their association with the organisation made it harder to fight Liberal Party claims they were not genuinely independent.

“I don’t think it’s helpful to do anything that feeds an inaccurate perception that Simon or Climate 200 control us,” one MP said of the press club speech. A second MP said it was frustrating to see Climate 200 social media videos featuring Holmes à Court talking about the election. And another source said they were tired of the “Simon and Byron show” and that the pair “can’t help themselves” from portraying Climate 200 as the core of the community independents movement.

Holmes à Court did make some efforts to play down his role with the teals during his press club speech, saying Climate 200 “did not start this movement” and “nor am I speaking for the independents”. The group is channelling donations from people across the country to 35 independent candidates with progressive environmental policies at this election and helped elect seven new MPs in 2022.

The Australian Financial Review reported on March 19 that Senator David Pocock had ended his financial link with Climate 200. Warringah MP Zali Steggall has also said she had received no funding from Climate 200 this term.

The Climate 200 spokesman declined to address MPs’ concerns about Holmes à Court and Fay.

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