Key Points
- The Iranian ambassador’s post on X was labelled “abhorrent, hateful and antisemitic” by Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
- Some Iranian Australians fear these words may fuel allegations of antisemitism against their community.
- Some community members and politicians are calling for the Iranian ambassador to be declared “persona non grata”.
The Iranian ambassador’s recent statement about “wiping out” Israel has been condemned by Australian political figures and labelled a “direct threat to safety” by some Iranian Australians.
In a post on X, Ahmad Sadeghi referred to Israel as “the Zionist plague” and called for its removal from “the holy lands of Palestine” by 2027.
Some Iranian Australians are voicing concern that these words may fuel allegations of antisemitism against the entire community.
“What he said is definitely antisemitic,” Suren Edgar, vice president of the Australian Iranian Community Alliance (AICA), told SBS Persian.
“This [post] does not represent the whole community, but other communities may not know this. They may think that the ambassador represents the whole country.”
‘A threat to Australia’s safety’
Since 7 October 2023, the number of antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Australia has risen sharply in Australia.
According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), by 7 November 2023, antisemitic incidents in Australia had increased by 591 per cent compared to the year before. Also, between 7 October and 6 November 2023, the Islamophobia Register Australia recorded 133 incidents, a significant rise compared to the previous average of 2.5 incidents per week.
Almost one month after the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, at least 10 people had been arrested in Victoria over antisemitism or Islamophobia allegations. At that time, The Age reported that “police received an average of three reports of Islamophobic and antisemitic behaviour every day”.
Amid these reports, the Labor government has appointed its first for social cohesion to report directly to the Prime Minister about improving the matter.
Edgar, also a board member of the Multicultural Community Council of South Australia (MCCSA), said the ambassador’s post will “increase stereotypes” against the community and “create more challenges” for Iranian Australians.
“In a multicultural society like Australia, these kinds of statements can have unpleasant consequences,” he said.
“When I read these comments [from the ambassador], as a community member, I felt a threat to the community and Australia’s safety. I’m sure this has upset many of us. Each of us is fighting against a lot of propaganda, and now we should work harder to show we don’t support the [Iranian] government.
“Some of us have children in schools with friends from different backgrounds, some of us have colleagues from other communities … and what happened will affect them.”
Calls for the Iranian diplomat to be declared ‘persona non grata’
In a statement, the AICA requested the removal of the Iranian ambassador from Australia.
“We demand the immediate expulsion of the Iranian ambassador from Australia. The ambassador’s egregious comments are not only unacceptable but also a direct threat to the safety and harmony of our multicultural society,” it said.
“Allowing such an individual to remain in Australia would be a grave mistake and a disservice to the values of peace and respect that we uphold.”
AUSIRAN, another Iranian-Australian community organisation, echoed similar demands in a letter to the Prime Minister.
The letter said that the ambassador’s latest remarks “pose a significant threat to community harmony and national security”.
“These statements effectively endorse genocide against Jews in Israel, made from the privileged position of an official diplomatic platform in Canberra,” it said.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ambassador Sadeghi had been “called in” to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and described his statement as “abhorrent, hateful and antisemitic”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ambassador Sadeghi had been “called in” to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
“I’ll make it clear: There’s no place for the sort of comments that the Iranian ambassador made on social media,” Albanese said.
“We’ve made clear our view to the Iranian ambassador very clearly and unequivocally to send him a message that it’s entirely inappropriate for him to engage in that way.”
The Opposition has urged the Labor government to take action against the ambassador.
“This weak response cannot and should not be the end of the matter,” Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham told SBS Persian.
His actions have no place in Australia, and it’s increasingly clear that he shouldn’t either.
Simon Birmingham, Shadow Foreign Minister
“There are options available under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention to declare a foreign diplomat persona non grata at any time without the need for any explanation. The abhorrent hate spread by Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi should make him unwelcome in our country.”
In a statement, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s embassy in Canberra told SBS Persian that “contrary to the impressions induced by some known pro-Israeli lobbies and some political circles”, the comment of the Iranian Ambassador on X “has nothing to do with Jewish People, antisemitism or raising hate speech or violent ways”.
“The best approach to have a peaceful solution to the Palestine Question and an end to more than 75 years of occupation and apartheid in the land of Palestine is to hold an International Referendum in which all Palestinians (including Arab Muslims, Christians and Jews) vote for the form of a state to represent the Nation of Palestine,” the embassy said.
A general view of the Iranian Embassy in Canberra. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
In May 2020, in an annual speech, Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, referred to Israel as a “cancerous tumour” that “will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed”.
Following the assassination of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran on 31 July, there are growing concerns about the escalation of the 10-month conflict in the Middle East.
Israel has not acknowledged responsibility for the assassination. However, Iranian officials have blamed Israel and vowed to respond.
