Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has provoked outrage after claiming that reports of sexual violence against Israeli women by Hamas on October 7, 2023, have been 'debunked'. The comments were made during an interview on ABC Sydney Mornings with host Hamish Macdonald.
When asked why she had not publicly condemned the sexual violence, Tame responded: 'I'm not going to sink to the level of entertaining any kind of propaganda.' She later added: 'Violence is happening on both sides, but this is not a fair fight.'
Macdonald referenced the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, which found reasonable grounds that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the attacks. Tame dismissed this, saying: 'Awful things are being perpetrated by both sides, but this is not about whataboutism.'
Tame, a survivor of child sexual abuse, stated: 'I do not dismiss any of it, no matter who the perpetrator is and no matter who the victim is.' She urged listeners to consider the broader context of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
National Council of Jewish Women Australia president Lynda Ben-Menashe condemned Tame's remarks, stating: 'For Tame to claim this fact has been debunked is repugnant. The terrorists themselves filmed their actions, the UN has accepted its veracity.'
