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‘Despicable and totally unacceptable’: Bell CJ slams rise in anti-Semitism
With anti-Semitic activity on the rise across the country, the NSW Supreme Court’s Chief Justice has stressed that “this conduct must not be permitted to stain the soul of our city”.
Grace Robbie
Speaking last night (Thursday, 6 February) at the Opening of Law Term Dinner for NSW practitioners, Chief Justice Andrew Bell (pictured) professed grave concern for the “distressing and terrifying rise” in anti-Semitic activities across Australia.
His Honour publicly denounced these acts of hate, declaring them to be “despicable” and “totally unacceptable”, while emphasising the necessity for those accountable for such actions to face “condign punishment”.
Bell CJ said in his speech how “neither the Jewish community nor the community more generally should be held to ransom by acts of terror, intimidation and hatred”.
His Honour added: “All individuals, of whatever background or sets of beliefs, should be able to live and go about their daily business in a society free from the promotion and perpetuation of religious, racial or ethnic hatred.”
A central focus of his discourse was his profound outrage at the inappropriate use of “symbols of Nazism and replication of the hateful conduct which led to the horrors of the Holocaust”. His Honour stressed that the replication of such hateful conduct “is not a legitimate or acceptable form of political protest”.
Bell CJ emphasised that while political protests are permissible, such expressions of political opinion must be conducted in a peaceful and respectful manner.
“That does not mean that political protests may not occur but, in a civilised, democratic society, there are peaceful and respectful ways for that to occur that do not involve invoking the terror and callous inhumanity of one of the darkest periods of human history,” His Honour said.
In light of Australia’s multicultural identity, His Honour emphasised how “Australia should be a beacon of tolerance and decency with our proudly diverse community built on principles of mutual respect for each other and for the operation of the rule of law which undergirds the safe and peaceful existence and functioning of our society”.
The rising resurgence of anti-Semitism, Bell CJ warned, is a sobering reminder that “the lessons of history cannot and must not be forgotten. Nor can they be permitted to become subject to insidious revisionism.”
