“There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part; you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop. – Mario Savio.
On international working women’s day, over 50 people turned up to the Southbank headquarters of the ABC in Queensland to hear speakers support Antoinette Lattouf, an ABC worker sacked because she supports Palestine. By the end of the rally, numbers had swelled to about 100 people which included Unionists for Palestine, rank-and-file unionists, Quakers, refugee rights advocates, anti-zionist Jewish people, members of justice for Palestine Magan-djin, a human rights lawyer, ordinary workers. There were some great speeches, particularly by Cassie, a unionist for Palestine and disability worker. In the open mic session, people made some great comments. Thanks to Nick Chesterfield for organising this event in conjunction with other insurgent journalists and Justice for Palestine Magan-djin. In our report, we include a full audio recording of the rally and videos of all the speeches . Ian Curr Editor 8 March 2024.
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Welcome to Rally and Acknowledgement of Country.
My name is Nick Chesterfield – I am an Insurgent journalist, and journalist safety trainer, and MEAA Members for Palestine organiser: I am Kaurna Nunga, Kulin Nations and Cornish man, Insurgent Journalist and MEAA Members for Palestine organiser; Housekeeping.
This is a peaceful protest, we are not going to block access to the ABC – they will do that themselves, as the police have told security that they expect trouble (which is a lie). So we ask that you remain polite to all staff, and remember that we are in solidarity here with affected and marginalised media workers who wish to put an end to the editorial position of ABC’s coloniser genocide stenography.
This is an active construction area, so as much as possible, depending on our numbers, please stay on the footpaths. However, if it becomes a numbers issue, we will use the road. The police are aware of this, and this is a no through road. The construction crews have been notified.
Also, after the rally, we invited people to join an informal discussion circle to talk about the next steps of professional solidarity.
Why are we here today? This rally is about solidarity with media workers of colour and blak journos being targeted for speaking the truth about Palestine, and refusing to breach the Journalism Code of Ethics by repeating Genocide Stenography of the ABC. It is also a call out to the comfortable newsrooms made up entirely of Colonisers, who do not reflect the diversity of this country.
This rally today is called nationally by MEAA Members for Palestine and is co-hosted by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, Unions for Palestine and Wage Peace.
Today is a call for workers and journalists in public broadcasting, particularly here at the ABC, but also SBS, and in the genocide- cheerleaders of commercial media, to make a stand for ethical journalism to reflect the reality on the ground, to reject the coloniser notions of both sidesism that gives equal value to voices of the powerful perpetrators of coloniser violence, and remember who we’re meant to serve as journalists: the people, the survivors, the witnesses, and the martyrs of abuses of power. We are to ask why journalism integrity is not being upheld and why we can not report without fear and without favour.
We are here In solidarity with the unfair dismisal case with sacked ABC journalist Antoinette Lattouf, who is fighting right now in the Fair work commission ( FWC ) in Sydney to hear the quite egregious case of her sacking based on race, as she was sacked for sharing a HRW report identified Genoicde was occuring – a report a white person at ABC reported on the day beforehand without any fear or repercussion.
It is important to note that this rally is not officially mandated by our union, the MEAA. They have expressed concern from the ABC House Committee – which is having a very big problem in attracting and retaining diverse, Arab and Blak Journos of Colour. Some members of the HC have hidden behind their diverse members and have complained of feeling threatened by anti-genocide public demonstrations of concern over the ABC’s consistent editorial policy of genocide stenography of the failure of public broadcasting in Australia – we are here to show them today that we are calling out management and the cowardice and undue influence of the Zionist pro-genocide lobby, and the anti-humanity cheerleaders of mass destruction and annihilation of the Palestinian people.
At least 30,800 Palestinians have been killed and 72,198 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
Israel’s military operation in Gaza, in the aftermath of the heinous 7 October attack by Hamas, has become the deadliest, most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history, UN experts have said.
“We are alarmed at the extraordinarily high numbers of journalists and media workers who have been killed, attacked, injured and detained in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in Gaza, in recent months blatantly disregarding international law,” the experts said.
According to UN reports, since 7 October, over 118 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel in Gaza, and many have been injured. In addition, three journalists in Lebanon were killed as a result of Israeli shelling near the border of Lebanon. Dozens of Palestinian journalists have been detained by Israeli forces in both Gaza and in the West Bank where harassment, intimidation and attacks on journalists have increased since the 7 October attacks.
This has been a difficult rally to organise. Many speakers have had to pull out due to ill health, injury, work and family care issues, so we acknowledge the kindness of people here today. Thanks for showing up at the last minute everyone.
I am going to read out MEAA statement in support of Antoinette Lattouf. Again, MEAA is supporting the action in Sydney outside the FWC, but can not support the action outside the ABC here.
ABC should back its employees when they are under attack 2023-12-21 15:02:23 #MEAAMedia MediaRoom Releases
The decision to sack Antoinette Lattouf from her role as an ABC radio presenter over sharing a social media post from a reputable human rights organisation is incredibly disturbing.
“Australians expect and deserve an ABC that is home to a range of ideas and opinions reflective of the diversity of Australian society,” said Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance Acting Chief Executive Adam Portelli.
“The ABC should be backing its own employees when they come under attack.
“It is also disturbing if – as has been reported today – the ABC chairperson or other board members are dictating staffing decisions in breach of editorial independence.”
The ABC MEAA House Committee said that colleagues who come from diverse backgrounds are often disproportionately the target of attacks from the public, and often feel unsupported from ABC management and the Board:
“To our culturally and linguistically diverse colleagues: you are not alone, we have your back.”
Sam Woripa Watson, an Aboriginal Socialist activist and emerging filmmaker and a member of MEAA and MEAA members for Palestine, then spoke. His speech is recorded in the the podcast and on video.
Nick reads out Palestinian Journalists Syndicate Letter
Palestinian Journalist Syndicate – Jerusalem Temporary main head office -Ramallah
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemns the strongest terms the unjust unethical actions of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC, in sacking fellow journalist Antoinette Lattouf, and stands in full solidarity with Miss Lattouf in her legal battle against this abhorrent injustice and censorship of the freedom of the press.
The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate followed with great concern ABC’s decision to sack fellow journalist Lattouf from her work as a radio presenter after she shared a Human Rights Watch report on the use of starvation as a weapon of war by the Israeli colonial occupation in the besieged Gaza Strip as a war tactic to push the starving population towards famine and forced displacement from the strip, yet another barbaric tactic of this brutal occupation against the people of Palestine in their ongoing Genocide, ethnic cleansing, and destruction and annihilation campaign of all forms of life in Gaza.
The PJS unequivocally condemns the ABC’s arbitrary measure against our fellow journalist Miss Lattouf and recognises that the ABC’s decision comes as an extension of and a collaboration with the Israeli Zionist regime’s policies of fighting against the Palestinian truth and narrative and is violation and censorship of journalistic integrity and the freedom of press and speech.
The PJS demands that ABC retract its arbitrary measure of sacking Miss Lattouf and give her the freedom to resume her journalistic work freely and without censorship, and calls on ABC to demand an end to the ongoing targeting and slaughter of Palestinian journalists and their families and media institutions, in Gaza and across Palestine, by the Israeli occupation forces, which led to the murder ABC’s journalist Roshdi Sarraj who was killed in a targeted attack on October 22nd alongside his family.
The PJS also demands that ABC and all Australian and intemational media outlets abandon the policies of censorship and silencing of a free press, and to practice journalistic integrity by stopping their undeniable bias and alliance with the Zionist occupation’s fabricated narratives and lies, and uphold the ethical and professional standards of journalism that it uses as slogans to deceive the public of the facade of “free media”.
The PJS recognizes that the ABC and other media bodies are failing the pillars of journalistic work by continuing to be silent about the killing of at least 127 Palestinian journalists and media workers and the destruction of 175 media headquarters in Gaza in the past 153 days of the Zionist genocide against the Palestinian people, and while the strategy of the zionist regime to deter and intimidate journalists from exposing the reality on the ground in Gaza comes in the form of targeted killings, the ABC’s actions against our fellow journalist Miss Lattouf, are only an extension of those intimidation and silencing tactics.
We reaffirm our full support and solidarity with fellow journalist Miss Lattouf and all journalists in so-called Australia and around the world against these injustices towards true journalistic work and call upon them all to continue speaking truth to power!
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate – Jerusalem Palestine
Dr Liz Strakosch, Doykeit Collective; Liz is white Jewish academic working on colonialism, racism and public policy. She is co-director of the Indigenous led Institute for Collaborative race Research, which aims to put academic research to work for antiracist struggle, and a member of Meanjin based anti-Zionist Jewish collective Doykeit’. I live streamed part of Liz’s speech here (the full speechis in the podcastand in the videosprovided).
Cassie is a disability support worker, a member of the services union, and a member of unionists for Palestine. ‘ See podcast and video link.
Benedict Coyne, human rights lawyer & Barrister, fmr National President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights. Benedict said that this genocide is unique. His response to it is motivated in part by his mother’s strong opposition to Australia’s part in the genocide in East Timor in 1975. See podcast and video link.
Jonathan Sriranganathan, is a long term community & human rights activist, former Councillor and Greens Lord Mayoral Candidate for Brisbane. John o gave a strong speech But challenged Benedict’s claim that this genocide is unprecedented. He gave his reason as The fact that there have been many genocides under colonialism, naming our own in Australia and many other places in the world. John o may have a point but But this genocide is unique is unique because it comes at the end of the longest stage The longest siege in modern history where Israel have conducted a series of carpet bombings over the previous 16 years. Many of the people in the Gaza Strip were there because they had been driven out of their owners in Palestine in 1948 and in 1967. Many of the settlers who drove them out live just across the the fence That defines the gaza strip. Jonathan Sriranganathan is the only High-profile politician in Brisbane To stand in solidarity with the palestinian people by his actions and his words. We may disagree with some part of his statements but our support for him is unconditional. Ian Curr 8 March 2024.
Videos of the rally
https://mega.nz/folder/SINn2YhK#ygJ4GIpy4f43ra9-r9-emg
Open Mic
Request for donations to Gaza Relief fund.
MEAA has launched a new fundraising appeal as part of an international effort to support Palestinian journalists, through the Media Safety & Solidarity Fund. Donations will provide basic food and health supplies for journalists in Gaza and their families.
There is a donation link and SECURE QR code on the red banner here – please donate – funds go directly to the Palestinian Journalist’s Syndicate.