Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal backtracks on claims Sydney Harbour Bridge protests were antisemitic. Stephanie Tran reports on antisemitism meeting.

Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal has faced criticism following a Victorian local government forum hosted alongside the US-based Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), with attendees questioning the organisation’s influence and its push for councils to adopt International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.

The IHRA definition conflates criticising the state of Israel with antisemitism.

The Victorian Local Government Forum on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, held at Glen Eira City Council, brought together councillors and mayors from across the state as part of a broader campaign by CAM to engage local governments.

The event forms part of a wider strategy by the group to target local government leaders. In September last year, CAM hosted the Australian Mayors’ Summit Against Antisemitism on the Gold Coast, attracting support from figures across the political spectrum. 

Messages backing the summit were sent by deputy prime minister Richard Marles, opposition leader Sussan Ley and former prime minister Julia Gillard.

Speakers and supporters at the summit included human rights commissioner Lorraine Finlay, UNSW chancellor David Gonski and Segal herself. The initiative also received backing from federal local government minister Kristy McBain and her New South Wales counterpart Ron Hoenig.

One of the most alarming features of the summit was a CAM report cataloguing supposed “antisemitic” symbols. The list included the watermelon, long used as a discreet emblem of Palestinian solidarity when the flag was banned, as well as the keffiyeh scarf and the flag itself.

US advocacy group pushing IHRA definition

CAM describes itself as a coalition of more than 850 organisations and millions of activists working to combat antisemitism globally. The group has focused much of its advocacy on encouraging governments and institutions to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, a framework which deliberately equates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

The organisation has previously been reported to receive backing from wealthy US donors and conservative political networks. 

MWM asked Glen Eira Council if the CAM provided funding for the event. They stated that “we paid for the event ourselves using expenditure from Council’s adopted 2025-26 operating budget. No other organisations contributed financially.”

They did not respond to follow up questions regarding how much the Council spent on the event or the role of CAM and ASECA in organising the event.

According to correspondence seen by MWM, “while Councillors approve the overall budget, they are not involved in the operational expenditure of Council run events”.

Segal concedes Bridge protest not antisemitic 

During the forum, Segal named the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House protests alongside the Bondi terror attack as examples of antisemitism.

When pressed on why she believed the Harbour Bridge protest was antisemitic, Segal conceded that the protest itself was not antisemitic but it undermined “social cohesion”.

“I’m not saying it’s antisemitic,” she said. 

“But it is antithetical to what we want in our country and building social cohesion.”

Some attendees criticised comparisons made during the discussion between protest activity and violent incidents.

Rebecca Parker, a designer and Jewish resident of the City of Port Phillip whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, said she was concerned about how events were framed.

“I was shocked when I heard [Segal] use the examples of two peaceful protests alongside the horrific violent extremist attack at Bondi,” Parker said.

“I think that drawing parallels between these very different types of events is extremely dangerous and only makes Jewish people feel unnecessarily unsafe.”

Parker also criticised the push to encourage local councils to adopt the IHRA definition.

“It was clear from her speech that she wants to be the arbiter of what is considered antisemitic and what is not,” she said.

Calls for broader anti-racism approach

Another attendee, Veronica Sherman, said she was confused by the suggestion that the Sydney Harbour Bridge protest could be interpreted as antisemitic.

“I was there holding a banner that said I was Jewish and I was absolutely welcomed with open arms,” Sherman said. 

“I was hugged, I was thanked. There were people crying with me.”

Sherman also questioned the absence of progressive Jewish organisations from the event.

“I was disappointed that Jewish Council Australia hadn’t been invited at all. There seems to be no voice other than the Zionist Jewish voice,” she said.

She also raised concerns about the influence of overseas organisations in Australian public policy debates.

“Australians aren’t worried enough about foreign interference,” Sherman said. “This is a foreign organisation that is paying to have a say and impact in local councils.”

Jen Weinstein, another attendee, said antisemitism should be addressed alongside other forms of racism.

“Racism should be addressed holistically. When we reinforce protections across the whole society, everyone benefits including Jewish Australians,” Weinstein said.

“The most effective way to combat antisemitism in Australia is the same way we should address all racism by implementing our existing National Anti-racism Framework.”

Broader scrutiny of Envoy’s office

The forum comes amid broader scrutiny of Segal’s office. Earlier this month, documents obtained under freedom of information laws revealed that Segal personally selected lawyer Greg Craven to oversee a controversial “university report card” assessing how institutions respond to antisemitism complaints. 

The documents showed that several consulting and law firms declined to bid on the tender process before Craven was approached to lead the review.

The Envoy’s office (ASECA) declined to respond to questions as to conflicts of interest.

https://michaelwest.com.au/jillian-segal-concedes-harbour-bridge-march-not-antisemitic/

 

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