Latest news with #RacialDiscrimination
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
The heartbreaking reality of these images as Hawthorn celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its famous threepeat
Hawthorn's golden era was honoured on Friday night, but one iconic name was missing from the celebrations. The club's famous threepeat team - premiers in 2013, 2014 and 2015 - reunited at Melbourne Town Hall to mark 10 years since their historic run. It was a night of laughter, stories, and old teammates reconnecting - except one. Cyril Rioli, the four-time premiership hero and 2015 Norm Smith Medallist, did not attend. When Hawthorn posted photos from the event, fans were quick to spot the painful detail. 'Where's Cyril?' one asked. Another posted a single tear emoji and the comment : 'Wish Cyril would go.' The rift between Rioli and Hawthorn remains unresolved, despite fans' hopes for healing. In 2022, Rioli became the lead plaintiff in a high-profile racial discrimination claim against the club. That matter has since been settled, with the club issuing an apology and the plaintiffs receiving an undisclosed financial settlement. But Rioli has remained distant from Hawthorn - and his absence on Friday confirmed the depth of that separation. Former captain Luke Hodge, who played alongside Rioli for a decade, has tried repeatedly to reconnect. 'We left on really good terms,' Hodge said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters. 'When he retired, he sent me a message saying 'thanks for all the development and all the help'.' Premiership-winning coach Alastair Clarkson was another big name absentee, as he was busy preparing North Melbourne for their clash against Carlton on Saturday Yet even mentors from Hawthorn's famous forward line haven't been able to reach him. 'It's almost like he's parted ways with everyone there,' Hodge said. Rioli didn't attend Hawthorn's centenary match in May either. But he was spotted later that month, smiling at TIO Stadium as Gold Coast played Hawthorn during Sir Doug Nicholls Round. The moment was broadcast live as Rioli stood to cheer a Suns goal. 'He had a fair smile on his face when Gold Coast kicked that goal,' Hodge noted on commentary. At full-time, Hodge made his way to the stands for a brief chat with his former teammate. 'It was just good to see him looking happy,' he said. Rioli's cousin, Daniel, now plays for the Suns and spoke after the game. 'I didn't see him or have had any contact with him yet,' Daniel said. 'But it's good to see him out here still watching the footy. I love him.' Hawthorn fans clearly feel the same way. 'Where is Cyril? We miss you a lot!' one fan wrote. Another added: 'Cyril will never come back. It's sad.' There is still a sense of deep respect and reverence for Rioli's brilliance. From his six-goal, 12-tackle performance in 2011, to his match-winning birthday goal against Sydney in 2016, Rioli created moments that will never be forgotten. But as the club's stars gathered for one more toast to greatness, the absence of their most electric player couldn't be ignored.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Lawyers argue preacher Wissam Haddad's lectures were 'humiliating' and 'offensive' to Jews
Lawyers for the nation's peak Jewish body have told a judge speeches delivered by an Islamic preacher in Western Sydney contravened the Racial Discrimination Act and were calculated to "denigrate all Jewish people". The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) took Wissam Haddad to the Federal Court over a series of lectures delivered at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown in November 2023. Mr Haddad denies he breached anti-discrimination laws and will argue in part that the speeches were based on religious text. On the opening day of the four-day hearing, Peter Braham SC, representing the council, told the court the speeches attributed negative characteristics to Jewish people and encouraged the audience to hold those views. Mr Braham said the aim was to inform the audience about Jews "as a people" using stories from the time of the prophet, and make "a general point about race". He told Justice Angus Stewart the intent was to "persuade an audience that the Jewish people have certain immutable and eternal characteristics that cause them to come in conflict with Muslims" and to "be the objects of contempt and hatred". "It's that exercise that's so dangerous," Mr Braham said. "It's threatening, it's humiliating and it's offensive. It's calculated to denigrate all Jewish people, including the Australian Jews for whom we appear. "It involved repeating a large range of offensive tropes about Jews; they're mischievous, they're a vile people, that they're treacherous, and that they control the media and banks et cetera." Mr Haddad is expected to give evidence and be cross-examined during the proceedings. Counsel for Mr Haddad, Andrew Boe, said this was not a case about antisemitism and it will be resolved by "sober, objective analysis". Mr Boe said the court should not form a view about the merits or otherwise of the religious views expressed by Mr Haddad, or their theological foundations. Mr Boe said in a democratic society, there must be room for "the confronting, the challenging, even the shocking". He said it was important in these types of cases for courts to take a "rigorous and detached approach" to applying the Racial Discrimination Act. That approach must maintain the "intended balance between, on the one hand, proscribing racially motivated behaviour that may be harmful in the Australian community, and on the other hand, preserving the freedoms of speech and religion that are so essential to the continued existence of a free democracy". The ECAJ asked the court for orders that there was a contravention of the law and an order requiring videos of the speeches to be removed online. It has also requested the court make an order prohibiting Mr Haddad and the centre from participating in similar conduct in the future. In defence documents, Mr Haddad argued the speeches were derived in substance from the text of the Koran and Hadith — reports believed by Muslims to be the words of Mohammed, his family and companions. He said some contained direct and allegorical references to that material, together with "political commentary on the Gaza war". Mr Haddad's lawyers denied there was any breach of the Racial Discrimination Act and said the speeches were directed only at practising Muslims. They further argued the centre was not a public place because members of the public do not have access to it as a right — its attendees must be either Muslim or permitted by a member of its committee. Mr Haddad's legal team says that if the court does find there was a contravention of the law, then that section of the Racial Discrimination Act is unconstitutional because it would be prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Jihadi preacher Wissam Haddad issues 'chilling' warning ahead of court battle over controversial sermons
Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad has shared an ominous warning to his followers as his legal battle with Australia's biggest Jewish body gets under way. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry is suing Haddad in the Federal Court over his sermons at Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown, western Sydney, which they allege breached the Racial Discrimination Act. In the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, Haddad allegedly said in his sermons that Jews were 'cowards, filthy, liars and schemers'. The case also claims he labelled Jewish people 'descendants of pigs and monkeys' and urged his followers to 'spit' on Israel. Haddad will argue that his statements were taken from religious texts like the Quran and were not likely to offend. He also contends that his sermons were performed in private and published online without his permission. The preacher, who is also known as Abu Ousayd, appeared in the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday to defend the lawsuit - and in the lead-up to the case, he shared a defiant message on social media. 'They are the one dragging us to court, so we're not going to come unarmed,' he said in the message. 'We're going to fight them with everything that we have,' he added, before an image of a sword appeared in the video. '...Isn't it about time that somebody fights back? Isn't it about time that somebody stands up to these bullies? 'And this is, Alhamdulillah, something I am personally willing to do.' Haddad also appealed to his followers for help with his legal costs in fighting the lawsuit, posting a link to a GoFundMe page which had raised almost $20,000 toward a $25,000 target on Tuesday. 'We are at a crossroads that will determine the future of Islamic expression in Australia,' the page said. '...a landmark legal case will be heard - one that could criminalise the public teaching or mention of certain Qur'anic verses and Hadiths if someone deems them 'offensive.' 'This case has far-reaching implications - not just for one individual or organisation, but for every imam, scholar, community leader, and Muslim in the country.' Haddad's use of a sword in his social media warning was encouraging his followers to join a 'physical' battle, a Jewish community source told The Australian. 'He's positioning it as an act of Islamic duty, a religious war between Muslims and Jews, which makes it even more alarming and chilling,' the source said. 'He doesn't have mainstream support in his own community, but it has the potential to incite young radicals to commit violence. It's extremely dangerous.' Sheik Ahmad Musa Jibril, a US-based radical Islamist who previously called on young people to join ISIS, has asked his followers to support Haddad's legal defence and claimed he is 'one of the most targeted men in Australia by the disbelievers'.
News.com.au
10-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Sydney preacher taken to court over alleged anti-Semitic speech
A Muslim preacher is being sued by Australia's peak Jewish body over alleged anti-Semitic speeches in which he allegedly described Jewish people as 'vile' and 'treacherous'. Wissam Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, is being taken to the Federal Court by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) over a series of lectures he gave in November 2023. A three-day hearing in Sydney's Federal Court is set to begin on Tuesday. Recordings of the speeches made at the Bankstown centre, which allegedly included derogatory generalisations about Jewish people, such as descriptions of them as 'vile' and 'treacherous' people, were uploaded online. The proceedings have been brought by ECAJ co-chief executive Peter Wertheim AM and deputy president Robert Goot AO SC, who claim Mr Haddad breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. Mr Wertheim said they previously attempted 'in good faith' to resolve the matter through the Australian Human Rights Commission, but a conciliated resolution could not be achieved. 'Accordingly, we have commenced proceedings in the Federal Court,' he said. 'Australia has long enjoyed a reputation as a multicultural success story where people of many different faiths and ethnic backgrounds have for the most part lived in harmony and mutual respect.' Mr Wertheim added that all Australians were 'free to observe our faith and traditions within the bounds of Australian law'. 'Maintaining and strengthening social cohesion is the role of governments and government agencies, but lately they have failed us,' he said. 'It should not fall on our community, or any other community, to take private legal action. However, in the circumstances we feel we have no alternative.'
Fox News
27-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Chicago's Mayor Johnson is so focused on race he can't see the truth about humanity
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently stoked the racial fires once again. I guess this is the only way he can break news these days, because he doesn't have significant accomplishments to speak of. This time the mayor was visiting the Apostolic Church of God, located in my South Side neighborhood of Woodlawn, when he said, "The reason I hire so many Blacks to run Chicago is because we're planet Earth's most generous race." This is Black supremacy, plain and simple. Like the racists of America's past, Mayor Johnson believes in attributing supremacy and inferiority to an individual based on skin color. And he has made no secret of his belief that one's black skin makes one superior and one's White skin makes one inferior. In 2022, he told the Chicago Tribune, "People are going to criticize the fact that we have [the most] Black and brown folks in the history of Chicago. Yes, we are the Blackest administration, and I'm proud of it." And what does he say about White people? In July of 2024, he told a concert crowd that he blamed whites for running the city down to the ground: "Y'all look, white supremacy is real- I'm going to say that one more time." He clearly forgot that the preceding mayor of Chicago was Black. The man has no problem admitting his racism out loud and clear. That is why I applauded the recent decision by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division to launch an investigation into whether or not Johnson's administration engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. Specifically, they will examine whether the city's employment practices systematically favored black candidates over others, violating federal anti-discrimination laws. I don't want a mayor who plays racial tribalism for power and to hide the fact that our city is suffering profoundly. That is why his comment about blacks being the most generous race on earth was offensive. If one looks at my neighborhood through a racial lens, we are 90% all Black and we have an epidemic of Black-on-Black crime. I have said time and time again that the problems we face are human problems. We are not "Black" but human beings born in the greatest country known to mankind and it is time that we start thinking of ourselves in that regard. In 2023, 70% of our homicides were Black-on-Black. Blacks are both the killers and the victims. How is this generous? To make matters worse, 70% of those homicides go unsolved in predominantly Black neighborhoods like mine. How is this generous? I could go on about other crimes, but I think the point is made. The fact that Mayor Johnson chooses to overlook the horrors playing out on our streets every day so that he may engage in his racial fantasies reveals that we truly have no one leading our city. After all, "Black" cannot lead the city of Chicago. What does "Black" do? How does "Black" run a city? How does "Black" fix violence? How does "Black" fix the education epidemic? How does "Black" fix the lack of stable family households? How does "Black" replace the father the kid never had? And how in the world is "Black" generous? chic The racial stupidity that comes out of this mayor's mouth is unfathomable. This stupidity costs lives and ruins futures. Our problem is not race. Being Black has never done any good for us. If it was so great, then why are we called the permanent underclass? Permanent, as in there is no hope for us. That's where being Black has gotten us the last 60 years. Where is the generosity in that? I have said time and time again that the problems we face are human problems. We are not "Black" but human beings born in the greatest country known to mankind and it is time that we start thinking of ourselves in that regard. I tell the children in my neighborhood: look how lucky you are! God has blessed you with two feet, two hands, two eyes, two ears, and the most powerful tool known to man: your brain. That is why every single ounce of our efforts must be focused on developing the full humanity of the people in my neighborhood. That is all that matters. And we must do this despite having a mayor that hides like a coward behind race to mask his inferiority when it comes to solving the problems of our city. We will never allow such a lowly man to bring us down and that is why I pray for my city and her people every day.
