Speech on Sunday 15 December 2024 to the ‘Together with Israel’ rally in Martin Place, Sydney.
Video of speech:
I want to begin with an explanation and an apology.
My name is Michael Easson. I am not Jewish. I am Catholic. I have been a supporter of Israel my whole life. I stand here with you. I see you, I believe in you, I support the community, I am proud of what Jewish people have achieved in this country. That’s why I am here.
But I also want to give an apology. To those Jewish friends and acquaintances that I haven’t reached out to since October the 7th, I apologise. Because I’ve heard it so often in your community people saying “nobody called me. Nobody asked me ‘how we were going?’” That is something I feel embarrassed about, and I understand a little bit about what many people here have been going through in the last 14 months.
A year ago, almost, one of my daughters, Amanda, was here in Martin Place. She was at a rally in support of Israel, and she later put a message on Facebook and on Instagram saying, ‘I stand with Israel’. She had a few ‘friends’ who unfriended her, and several people wrote to her, saying, “you’ve got children, haven’t you? I hope they die like people in Gaza.” She was hurt by that, obviously.
I said to her, imagine – you are getting that as a non-Jewish Australian, showing a little bit of support. Imagine how it feels to be Jewish in this country – especially over the last 14 months.
I had a glimpse of this last Wednesday week, as Rabbi Elton pointed out, when in the Great Synagogue, gathered peacefully, people were told by the police ‘you cannot leave because we cannot guarantee your safety’. All those many old people there – me included – were told ‘stay where you are until it is safe to go’. So, that’s a glimpse of what I understand many people here have gone through.
I want to say this: Not only do I stand with Israel and understand the existential struggle of the Jewish people and of Israelis since Israel’s formation in 1947/48. I understand that Israel in the last 14 months has been fighting on seven fronts. That must be understood by anyone critical of Israel – and there are things to be critical about. But deeply, I admire the people of Israel and the Jewish community in this country.
Finally, let me say the struggle we all are involved in is not only about Israel and the Jewish people, it is also about Australia. What kind of country are we?
It hurts me, it bewilders me, that I hear Jewish Australians asking each other ‘how long have we got before we need to leave?’ I’ve heard that from people. How ashaming it is for Australians to hear that.
This group might be small in number, but we represent the majority of the Australian people.
We don’t want Australia to fall behind and be anything other than the great, tolerant, wonderful, multicultural nation we are.
I stand with you. Enough is enough.
Postscript
Other speakers at the ‘Together with Israel Australia’ event were Dr Rabbi Ben Elton from the Great Synagogue; Senator Dave Sharma; former Labor MP Michael Danby; Ed Halmagyi aka “Fast Ed”; Colonel Michael Scott; Woollahra Mayor Sarah Swan; Senate candidate Dr Glenn Kolomeitz; Hunter’s Hill Councillor Carol Tannous-Sleiman, a Lebanese Christian Australian; and Ofir Birenbaum, Together with Israel.
Together with Israel describes itself as a grassroots organisation dedicated to raising awareness for the safe return of the hostages taken by the terrorist organisation Hamas on 7th October 2023 and to combating antisemitism in Australia. See: https://www.togetherwithisrael.org.au/
