The Sydney Swans have issued a fresh apology after admitting they edited a pre-match tribute to the victims of the Bondi terror attack to remove mention of the Jewish community. The club described the change as an 'error of judgment' and said it was made internally, without direction from the AFL.
Before the Swans' season-opening game against Carlton at the SCG, chief executive Matthew Pavlich led a tribute to victims and first responders. Journalist and former player Gerard Healy revealed that Pavlich's speech had been altered to omit references to the Jewish community.
In a statement on Monday, the Swans said: 'There was no directive or instruction from the AFL to remove or change the reference to the Jewish Community in the script. That script change was made within our club in a genuine effort to use inclusive language by referring to the “whole community”.' The club acknowledged the error and reiterated its apology.
The incident has drawn political attention, with Liberal senator James Paterson referring the AFL to the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion. Paterson said: 'It would be ridiculous and weird to have any sort of acknowledgment that didn’t recognise the fact that it was an attack on Jewish Australians.'
AFL boss Andrew Dillon declined to clarify whether the league was involved in editing the script, stating: 'I don’t know the ins and outs of scripts. Matthew did a great job of hosting that ceremony. It was the appropriate forum, and it paid tribute to the victims of a horrific attack on the Jewish community.'
