One of the most significant developments in racist activity in 1997 was the increased sophistication in technology used by extremist groups across the spectrum. Two new political parties served as magnets for extremist elements. There were 245 reported incidents of anti-Semitism in Australia in 1997, representing an 18 percent decrease from the previous year. Besides the usual anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial claims in the extreme right and Islamic and Arab press, there were some notable examples in some mainstream publications, mainly connected with the Middle East conflict.

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

EXTREMIST ORGANIZATIONS AND HATE GROUPS

Pauline Hanson, whose endorsement as the Liberal Party's candidate was canceled shortly before the 1996 election after her controversial statements concerning race relations in Australia, formed the One Nation Party. In contrast to Campbell, Hanson has received considerable media attention both in Australia and internationally, particularly following her maiden speech in late 1996. A number of individuals closely associated with extreme right-wing groups have emerged as public supporters of her party.

The new political parties have affected the Australian Jewish community through continuation of the public debate on the "racial mix" of Australia. In the course of this debate a large number of otherwise marginalized extremist organizations were presented with an opportunity to reach regional and national audiences through the media. The impact was felt throughout the community including in schools and in the workplace. A dramatic increase in anti-Jewish stereotyping was reported, as well as the belief that Jews were part of an anti-Christian conspiracy.

The Australian League of Rights continued to hold meetings, conduct campaigns and seek publicity in its organs for its anti-Semitic analysis of domestic and international affairs. In January the weekly On Target warned that "Australian Zionists" exercised "destructive influence" and were able to do so because of "their mastery of Talmudic dialectics." In February it claimed that the "global program" of US "internationalists" (which it identified as a danger to Australia) was due to "Zionist Jews," including "Madeleine Albricht [sic]," the daughter of "the Jew Josef Korbel, a senior diplomat in the Czekoslovakian government before the collapse of Communism." The June issue of the monthly New Times asserted that the Jews of Germany had destroyed German traditional culture by 1848, and then imposed their plans on the US, which included flooding the country with immigrants, so that America would be dominated by "Jews who slavishly follow the Zionist program."

Identity Church supporters such as Anthony Grigor-Scott posted material to on-line news groups which claimed that Jews were "anti-Semitic" for opposing Christian Identity churches. Jewish communal organizations were mailed a large volume of anti-Jewish, Christian Identity material, which depicted the Talmud as "filth," and Jews as inherently evil.

The British-Israel World Federation bookshop in Sydney increased stocks of Holocaust denial material and anti-Semitic literature and became more overtly concerned about "the Jews." It continued to sell The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, The Longest Hatred: An Examination of Anti-gentilism (produced by the racist dowager, Lady Birdwood of London) and Holocaust denial material from the Institute for Historical Review, as well as a number of other Identity, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel books and magazines.

The Citizens' Electoral Councils of Lyndon LaRouche have been plagued by internal disputes, during which information came to light regarding the obsession of their officials with an international conspiracy involving, also, Australian Jewish community figures. More disturbing than its paranoia were continuing revelations that the organization worked with elected officials to further anti-Jewish propaganda campaigns.

Material published by the Adelaide Institute in 1997 included attacks on the Babylonian Talmud (which it described as "the well-spring of anti-Semitism") and the "emotionally crippling Holocaust story"; comments such as "the Jewish lobby [is] waging a constant campaign of emotional blackmail through their control of large parts of the Western media, including Hollywood"; references to "the Holocausters," the "Holocaust legend" and the "Shmolocaust"; and promotion of The Protocols of Zion, calling it "false" but an insight into "Judo-Communist methods."

The reversals in fortunes suffered by the Australian imitators of the US militia groups resulted, inter alia, from the new, more restrictive gun ownership legislation introduced in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur (Tasmania) massacre and the rise of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party, which offered its constituency a seemingly more viable means of "rescuing" Australia.

ANTI-SEMITIC ACTIVITIES

During 1997, the Jewish community's central database received 246 reports of incidents of violence, vandalism and intimidation directed at Jews and Jewish communal institutions. This total represented an 18 per cent decrease compared to the previous year but was 19 per cent higher than the average over the seven-year period commencing January 1, 1990.

Reported cases of serious vandalism and significant personal injury were amongst the lowest since comparative records have been kept. This would appear to be a direct reflection of increases in resources devoted to communal security, particularly as there was a comparable decrease in daubings on communal property but not in any other category of threat, harassment or intimidation. It is also significant that those areas in which there was a decrease in acts of harassment and intimidation were population centers where publicity was given to legal action taken by the Jewish community against prominent anti-Jewish propagandists.

During the twelve months in review there were fewer incidents involving serious property damage than in any of the preceding four years. This development was particularly welcome as there had been a steady increase in incidents of this nature, peaking in the previous year. There was a small increase in reports of physical harassment over the previous period, and incidents of this type were reported at a rate of 17 per cent above the average over the long term. Most such incidents took place close to synagogues and were directed at Jewish families.

Jewish institutions reported a number of incidents of daubing of Nazi graffiti and anti-Semitic slogans. For example, a Jewish cemetery was smeared with anti-Semitic graffiti, the home of a Jewish family was broken into and anti-Semitic slogans painted on inside walls, and a Jewish family's car was daubed with a swastika and the words "Jews out." In addition, anti-Semitic graffiti appeared in public view on several occasions in streets, parks and malls.

After assault, vandalism and direct intimidation, the most aggressive forms of anti-Semitism came in personal telephone calls or letters which carried threatening overtones and/or obscenities, and even overt warnings of impending attacks on individuals or institutions. Anti-Semitic telephone calls which often included obscenities were received on a number of occasions by synagogues, communal institutions and Jewish families. Examples included telephone calls to synagogues, threatening that "your people will be taken away" and bomb threats, causing evacuations of Jewish schools and a residential college.

Unlike the majority of other incidents, hate mail was generally directed at individual Jews rather than Jewish organizations or the community at large. Amongst themes in anti-Semitic hate mail were: Jews should be killed and synagogues destroyed (with threats that this would take place); the claim (generally contained in letters to Holocaust survivors) that Hitler did not kill enough Jews; and the allegation that Jews were responsible for imposing on Australia an anti-Christian or anti-white political and/or economic system.

There were also a number of cases of anti-Jewish material being hand delivered to the residences of Jewish families; distribution of anti-Semitic leaflets throughout suburbs in Brisbane and Launceston; and small anti-Semitic stickers placed on the business premises of Jewish Australians in Melbourne and Sydney.

Anti-Semitism transmitted by electronic mail was a source of regular complaint in 1997. Amongst the incidents reported were several examples of Holocaust denial directed at Holocaust survivors and other members of the Jewish community; material accusing Jews of barbarism, greed and immorality; and warnings that Australian Jews would suffer because they allegedly undermined Australia's interests.

Propaganda

In addition to the propaganda of the extreme right mentioned above, leaflets were distributed in Brisbane suburbs by the Australian National Socialist Movement (ANSM) seeking recruits to combat "Jewish bankers" in the interests of "a future for white children." In areas where ANSM material was distributed, the signature C-18, identified with the UK fascist group Combat 18, appeared with graffiti, such as "Jews out," "Zionist Occupation Government" and the words "Levi" and "C-18," together with swastikas.

Anti-Semitism from non-English sources included a series of three lectures given by the visiting Hungarian extremist Tibor Hernadi to the "Friendly Circle of Hungarian Revisionism" in Melbourne, at which Hungarian Nazi literature was sold at the second lecture and the words "Jewish," "Zionist," "Freemason," "Bolshevik" and "Jewish-Bolshevik" were used synonymously and a "Jewish-Freemason world conspiracy" was alleged.

Anti-Semitic propaganda also appeared in extreme left-wing publications. In one of the fringe far left newspapers, Green Left Weekly, Zionism and Middle Eastern politics received considerable attention, with some Australian contributors promoting the theme of Nazi/Zionist collaboration, claiming there was no "Left anti-Semitism," and attacking "99 percent of Jews" as oppressors and as "Khazar Jews."

A number of anti-Semitic attacks were reported in the mainstream Arabic and Islamic media. An Nahar, which has long published anti-Jewish and anti-Israel articles, and which has in the past been censured by the Australian Press Council for "bringing freedom of the press into disrepute," printed an article in May by Najat Morsey who argued: "... If we look at our enemy ... how they dedicated their lobby for half a century towards exaggerating their tragedy with Nazi Germany and keep reminding the world opinion every day and hour and minute of the Jewish holocaust in Germany, until they gained world's sympathy and disgraced the German people with war crimes and made them suffer from a guilt complex, and extorted from them money by the millions ... until now they trace and prosecute any German official still alive after half a century ... as if the Jewish holocaust in Germany was the first and last in the history of humanity which is full of slaughters and massacres..."

The official journal of the Australian Federation of Islamic Communities, the Australian Muslim News, implied that Jewish groups were responsible for claiming the Oklahoma City bombing was the act of Muslims, described the Habad movement as "a group of fanatical Zionists who believe that their blood is more precious than that of their Muslim and Christian Palestinian neighbors," and carried an article alleging the US administration was "riddled with dually-loyal persons."

The Muslim extremist press continued to attack Jews, Zionists and Israel. For example, Al-Moharer Al-Australi, the print and Internet outlet for the pro-Iraqi, pro-Libyan views of Fouad Elhage, included an article in March claiming "multi-racialism," "multi-culturalism," "diversity indoctrination," "anti-discrimination laws," "non-white immigration" and many other threats to the power of "whites," constituted "genocide" under the UN Convention. This "genocide" is allegedly being committed by the "new world order," which anti-Semites clearly understand to mean Jews.

Coverage of issues relating to the Australian Jewish community by the mainstream media continued to be out of all proportion to the community's size as a percentage of the Australian population. Examples of anti-Semitism in the mainstream media included claims that "guilt-peddling" had "long been used to give Israel a free run against the Palestinians in the Western media," and that there was a "Jewish-dominated liberal media"; the Israel-Palestinian situation was analogous to "Hitler's Germany"; the US President was "in thrall to the wealthy Jewish lobby and the moral blackmail of the holocaust"; Israel was founded on "ethnic cleansing" (in an article on the Mossad's failed attempt on the life of an Hamas leader); "the heirs of Auschwitz use poison gas on an enemy," the Jewish community was "so influential that they can embarrass Australia" by allegedly making the government abandon "the national interest"; and the government had a "predisposition to succumb to local Jewish pressure groups."

The Internet: The main sites which contained or actively promoted anti-Semitism in 1997 were those maintained by the Adelaide Institute, the Australian League of Rights, the Bible Believers, the Southern Cross Hammerskins, Al-Moharer Al-Australi, the Covenant Vision Ministry. Another group included those linked to magazines or organizations which published anti-Semitism: National Action, The New Citizen, Nexus, New Dawn and Nida'ul Islam. Other sites, such as Sumeria and Network for Intellectual Dissent in Australia, legitimized anti-Semites by presenting them as serious or acceptable sources. Amongst links from the sites above were those from the Adelaide Institute home page to the US extremist group Aryan Nation; Al-Moharer Al-Australi to Louis Farrakhan's publications; and the Covenant Vision Ministry to American's Promise Ministry and to Scripture for America.

ATTITUDES TOWARD THE HOLOCAUST AND THE NAZI ERA

Tensions in Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab relations during 1997 led to some media disparagement of the Holocaust. A particularly serious example came in the form of an anonymous letter published in Tharunka, the newspaper of the University of New South Wales student guild. Mixing denigration of the Holocaust and accusations that Jews "revel in some hypocritical self-victimization," the author maintained Israel was no better than "the gestapo" and was perpetrating a "holocaust."

Holocaust denial slogans, together with a call to free a convicted Nazi, were daubed on the Austrian consulate in Brisbane. They appeared with the C18 signature mentioned above.

RESPONSES TO RACISM AND ANTI-SEMITISM

South Australia adopted a mix of criminal and civil sanctions, which included making racial vilification a criminal offense, and new civil remedies in court for those who can prove that they have been the victims of racism.

As of late 1997, the Adelaide Institute was due to answer a complaint against the content of its website, lodged by ECAJ, which has been referred to a public hearing under the racial hatred legislation. An associate of the Adelaide Institute, Olga Scully, faces a separate public hearing, following a complaint, also by the ECAJ, against her dissemination of anti-Jewish material through mail-drops and at a stall in a Launceston market.

Most parliamentary houses passed motions condemning racism, calling for reconciliation and affirming the values of tolerance and diversity. Amongst developments were the Tasmanian House of Assembly's adoption of a code of race ethics.

Two major conferences which provided moral leadership against racism were held in 1997. The Australian Reconciliation Convention, which dealt primarily with relations between indigenous and other Australians, provided encouragement to all in the community concerned with the development of an Australia characterized by tolerance and social justice. In discussions of racism at the conference, anti-Semitism was regularly raised as a problem which merited attention. The conference on Religion and Cultural Diversity, co-hosted by the Australian Multicultural Foundation and the World Conference on Religion and Peace, more directly addressed anti-Semitism and dealt constructively with issues such as religious vilification, the relationship between religions in Australia and the need to build coalitions to promote values, including anti-racism.