A car repair business owner is set to face court after allegedly sharing antisemitic videos on his company's social media page. Adam Gibbs, 42, a resident of Hope Island on the Gold Coast, has been charged with one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offence.
Allegations and Charges
Queensland Police confirmed that the charges stem from multiple posts containing antisemitic content. 'It will be alleged the man has posted numerous posts containing videos which are antisemitic and symbols,' a police spokesman said. Gibbs is scheduled to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The videos were allegedly posted on the Instagram page of Panel House, a car repair business based in Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane. The clips were first reported by Daily Mail Australia, sparking widespread outrage among Jewish community leaders and prompting complaints to law enforcement.
Content of the Videos
The footage shows Gibbs wearing a fake beard, exaggerated moustache, and sidelocks—a caricatured Jewish costume—while performing skits that Jewish leaders say mock Holocaust victims and promote antisemitic stereotypes. In one video, Gibbs asks to buy 'six million headlights' while holding a bag of cash, before being told he could only afford '271,000'. This reference has been widely condemned as trivialising the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
Community Reaction
Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, welcomed the charges, stating they send a clear message that antisemitism will not be tolerated. 'The man who mocked six million dead Jews is now answering to a court,' he said. 'Two and a half weeks ago, I wrote to the Queensland Police Commissioner and demanded an investigation into a Brisbane business that had turned its Instagram into a sewer of Holocaust denial and antisemitic filth. Today, that business owner has been charged.'
Dr Abramovich emphasised that the case should serve as a warning to others who believe antisemitism can be disguised as humour. 'Every antisemite in this country who thought they could broadcast Jew-hatred and call it comedy just learned a new lesson. You are not safe. You are not clever. You are not entertainment. You are a defendant.'
He rejected claims that the videos were protected as free speech. 'For two and a half years, Jewish Australians have been told that the abuse is just speech. Today, in Queensland, that lie was buried. Holocaust denial and antisemitism are not free speech. They are incitement to genocide dressed in costume.'
Dr Abramovich thanked Queensland Police and members of the public who reported the content. 'I thank every Australian who refused to scroll past, who hit report, who picked up the phone, who said this is not who we are. To every other antisemite in Australia hiding behind a username, a logo, a brand: today's news is for you.'
