The antisemitism royal commission has heard that social media has enabled horrific antisemitic attacks on individuals ranging from schoolchildren to one of Australia's most prominent families. On Monday, former Westfield co-chief executive Steven Lowy testified that his family had faced more than 15,000 serious online attacks in a single year.
Lowy Family Targeted with Death Threats and Antisemitic Tropes
The Lowy Family Group maintains its own security team to monitor threats. Of the 15,000 attacks recorded in the 12 months to February, the team identified 200 “persons of interest” and referred approximately 30 to 40 cases to police. The commission was shown examples of Steven Lowy, his wife Judy Lowy, and his father Frank Lowy – a Holocaust survivor and billionaire retail mogul – being targeted. The examples included death threats, calls for execution, and antisemitic tropes and memes.
Steven Lowy warned that online threats could lead to real-world violence. He advocated that social media platforms should be subject to the same laws as traditional media, making them liable for prosecution.
Children Also Victims of Online Antisemitism
The commission heard from the mother of a 12-year-old girl who described her daughter being abused, bullied online, and physically threatened by other children. The perpetrators had drawn a swastika on her desk and subjected her to Nazi salutes. Another anonymous witness recounted the abuse his 14-year-old son experienced on Discord, describing “horrifying” threats, including a reference to “fairly grotesque sexual violence.” The father noted that things can “get out of control really quickly” in online chats and group chats.
Bondi Attack Victim Targeted with Deepfakes
Arsen Ostrovsky, head of the Australia, Israel and Jewish Affairs Council’s Sydney office, was injured in the December Bondi terror attack. A picture he shared of his bloodied head was immediately used to spread conspiracy theories, with images manipulated to claim he was a “crisis actor.” Ostrovsky described it as a “relentless tsunami” of hate. He recounted learning about the proliferation of deepfake images and memes while being prepped for surgery. “There were images, videos and material suggesting everything from that this was a false flag attack … that this wasn’t real blood, that it was ketchup. There were images of me holding what looked like an Academy Award trophy, and many of these images, videos and material, are still online today,” he said.
WhatsApp Group Leak Leads to Anti-Doxing Laws
Israeli-Australian author Lee Kofman told the commission she created a WhatsApp group in 2023 for Jewish creatives to have a “safe space” after the 7 October attack on Israel. A reporter shared some contents of that chat to a third party, after which it spread through social media and prompted the federal government to create new anti-doxing laws. Kofman, who described herself as a left-wing Zionist supporting Palestinian rights and a two-state solution, said group members were portrayed as a “sinister cabal” and that she and others lost work.
ABC and SBS Called to Testify
Over the next two weeks, commissioner Virginia Bell will hear more evidence about the dissemination of antisemitic content online and in traditional media. On Monday, the commission heard that representatives from the ABC and SBS will be called as witnesses after complaints about their coverage of the Middle East. Counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC said some submissions are “highly critical” of the public broadcasters’ reporting, alleging inaccuracy or imbalance. The special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, will also speak on these concerns. Both ABC and SBS have made submissions to the inquiry. The ABC has defended its coverage against what managing director Hugh Marks called “unfounded” criticism. SBS stated it provides “accurate, balanced and impartial coverage.”
Criticism of Lobby Influence and Platform Responses
Former Adelaide writers’ week director Louise Adler claimed in Deepcut News that most submissions to the commission would have been “scripted by the [Israel] lobby’s full-time ‘project officers’” and should be rigorously scrutinised. She argued that members of the Israel lobby are “the leading proponents of the conflation of antisemitism with anti-Zionism,” and that Jews are “greatly imperilled when this distinction is obscured.” Lancaster told the commission that not all social media platforms responded well to its inquiries. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and TikTok engaged “meaningfully,” but there was no response from X or Telegram, limited response from Reddit and Twitch, and Gab was “openly hostile,” with a representative saying the platform will “publish what it likes, when it likes.” Lancaster raised the “potential for the online environment to function as an incubator of antisemitic violence,” noting that social media platforms are “perhaps the most significant vector for the spread of antisemitism and hate in the community.” Academic experts, Meta representatives, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority will also attend the commission.
