Recent Distribution at Australian Universities of Holocaust Denial Literature and Fliers Calling for Murder of Jews Linked to Neo-Nazi and Environmental Groups
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by Rachel Frommer
Holocaust denial fliers recently found at Australian universities. Photo: Screenshot.
Two groups have been connected to Holocaust denial literature and fliers calling for the murder of Jews found at five Australian universities in recent weeks, The Australian reported on Tuesday.
A neo-Nazi group called Antipodean Resistance claimed it put up such fliers and swastikas at Melbourne’s La Trobe University and Sydney University, while similar posters at Melbourne, Monash and Australian National Universities referenced a supposed environmental group called Chemtrails Geelong, according to the report.
“The perpetrators of this disgraceful racist propaganda should be prosecuted under the Commonwealth Criminal Code for inciting violence on the basis of race, and not for some lesser offense,” said Peter Wertheim, executive director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
A Sydney University spokesperson said expulsion and police involvement would both be considered in the event that they do track down those responsible, while other universities have said they are still examining security footage, according to the report.
Ariel Zohar, of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS), said Jews on Australian campuses have been feeling “increasingly marginalized and vilified on campus by various groups.” Earlier this month, a left-wing political youth group announced it would boycott the AUJS, citing support of Palestinians in the face of the Israeli “occupation.”
“It is up to the sensible majority to condemn and dismiss these extremist views,” Zohar told The Australian.
As the Australian Jewish News reported, the Monash and Melbourne campuses were hit with two rounds of fliers claiming the movie “Denial” — a film newly released in Australia depicting Holocaust denier David Irving’s failed libel case against scholar Deborah Lipstadt — was guilty of fabricating history.
Dvir Abramovich — chairman of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission — said he was “shocked and disgusted that such revolting brochures have once again invaded university space, not only belittling the horrific murder of six million Jews, but exploiting vulnerable students who may have limited knowledge about the Holocaust and sowing a message of hate and intolerance in the hearts of young people.”
Thousand of fliers calling the Holocaust “The Greatest Swindle of All Time” were found across Australian campuses last year, and similar posters have appeared on campuses around the world, including at Cambridge University, University College London, and the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
