Women hold up flags during a a pro-Palestinian rally in Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Lewis Jackson

The downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad marks the end of a brutal, decades-long regime that devastated a country and unleashed one of the most harrowing civil wars in modern history. It’s undoubtedly a moment that many have long awaited.

Scenes of jubilation erupted in Syria and around the world, with refugees from the war-torn country celebrating in the streets, as news spread that Assad had fled following a lightning rebel advance.

But amid the joy, something darker reared its head: the antisemitism we’ve sadly come to expect in such moments.

In Australia, a large crowd of Syrians was filmed chanting: “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahud, Jaish Mohammed Sauf Ya’ud” — a chilling reference to a 7th-century massacre of Jews by Mohammed’s army.

The slogan’s modern-day message is unmistakable: a call for violence against Jews.

“Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahud, Jaish Mohammed Sauf Ya’ud” — “Watch Out Jews, Remember Khaybar, the Army of Mohammed is returning.”

No, @newscomauHQ, this is not Australians celebrating Syrian regime change. They are chanting incitement to murder Jews.
https://t.co/T6yDiQqbzy pic.twitter.com/RgAYv2iqTH

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 8, 2024

Disturbing as this scene was — a mob in broad daylight in Sydney, brazenly inciting hatred and violence — what followed was arguably worse.

News.com.au, Australia’s most widely-read news outlet, described the incident as “Australians celebrating Syrian regime change” in a video posted on its website.

This gross misrepresentation of the event is shocking — not necessarily because of malice, but because of sheer journalistic negligence.

The journalist likely saw a video of dancing and what sounded like celebratory Arabic chanting and assumed it was innocent.

But ignorance cannot be a defense for journalists and editors.

It is quite literally a journalist’s job to dispel ignorance — not perpetuate it. Their role is to provide facts, context, and explanations, ensuring their audience understands the reality of what they’re seeing.

When confronted with footage of Syrians in Sydney chanting in Arabic, a journalist has a duty to find out what’s being said, especially when that chant carries such an unmistakable tone of hate.

What makes this worse is news.com.au’s response to criticism.

Instead of issuing a correction and apology after HonestReporting raised the alarm, the outlet quietly removed the footage from its website.

Antisemitism in Australia is surging.

Synagogues burned. Cars vandalized. Jews attacked.
Yet the media calls it “suspected arson” or “war-inspired protests.”
This isn’t about Gaza—it’s hate, plain and simple. Silence fuels it. Call it what it is: antisemitism.… pic.twitter.com/ApoPoYCgrP

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 9, 2024

Does news.com.au not believe Australians deserve to know that people in their country are chanting violent threats against Jews on Sydney’s streets?

Do Jews in Sydney not have a right to know about these incidents for their own safety?

Yet, this episode isn’t just about one video — it’s part of a broader pattern of declining journalistic standards. Increasingly, reporters fail to identify language, symbols, and imagery tied to terror groups, or worse, avoid addressing such hatred when they recognize it at all.

We’ve seen this pattern repeated during the wave of anti-Israel hate rallies in major cities worldwide following the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7 last year.

Protesters held signs glorifying Hamas, waved the flags of proscribed terror organizations, called for a violent intifada, and brandished placards promoting conspiracy theories, such as “Zionists” controlling the media.

Antisemitism on full display

“Who controls Britain? It’s the Jewish people that control Britain! 40% of the MPs are Jewish and that’s why these police are under there…”

FYI 40% of MPs are not Jewish. H/T @MahyarTousi pic.twitter.com/3zSiRd3iI6

— Harry’s Place (@hurryupharry) March 30, 2024

Yet, the media largely refused to identify and call out the antisemitism on show at these rallies.

By sanitizing or mischaracterizing such demonstrations, outlets aren’t just failing their readers — they’re complicit in promoting this hatred. The media have no defense. Their silence or misrepresentation isn’t neutrality; it’s enabling.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.