Finding a Balance between Security and Free Expression during a Crisis
President Isaac Herzog’s recent trip to Israel and the consequent visit to Australia have brought forth a multi-faceted and dreadful debate. There are two contrary notions in this discussion. On one hand, Jewish Australians are entitled to live free from fear, harassment, or the threat of violence. On the other hand, the right to peaceful protest and critiquing of a foreign head of state is a loud and proud guarantee of democratic society. The two points are not contradictory, unless they are combined, which may lead to grievous consequences.
The Jewish community is feeling very insecure these days. Reports in the media, security guards, fear, and anxiety are their daily reality. The emotional stress that people are undergoing is dire and must be dealt with through empathy and by providing proper protection. People are not supposed to feel endangered due to their religion or mental background.
Nonetheless, the answer to this anxiety is not to debate about a visiting dignitary who has to silence all the opposing views. The protests against President Herzog’s visit are primarily political discourses, outlining the Israel government’s approach towards Gaza during this part of the humanitarian crisis that is extremely complicated. To define this kind of repudiation as antisemitism merely represents a simplifying tendency. It utilizes a really serious prejudice in order to prevent necessary political debate.
The right to peaceful demonstration is an undisputed means of expressing the opposition to state actions. It is quite unfortunate to prevent a leader from being criticized fairly and legally by protecting him from the protesters. This means, in reality, that some states and policies are outside judgment, which is completely contradictory to the pluralism that Australia supposedly supports.
Australia’s government has the responsibility to ensure the protests will be law-abiding and peaceful. This does not involve, however, fencing off the leaders from the public’s judgment on their actions.
The way to progress is subtle. We must declare war on antisemitism and at the same time embrace all communities, the physical safety of which is to be guaranteed. Moreover, we must create a space where rigorous, peaceful engagement in politics is. The very aim should be achieving an environment where Jewish Australians feel secure and all Australians have a voice in international justice matters free from false accusations of bigotry. The failure in keeping both requires us to do harm to our democracy and to those who are trying to live safely within it.
Source: The Guardian
