PUBLIC STATEMENT OF SUPPORT – We Reconfirm our Stand in Solidarity with all Advocates of Palestine and Reject the Biased and Malicious Targeting by Media Agencies
PUBLIC STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
We Reconfirm our Stand in Solidarity with all Advocates of Palestine and Reject the Biased and Malicious Targeting by Media Agencies
The Israeli occupation and aggression in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, continued to intensify since October 7, leading to a significant increase in civilian casualties, ongoing massacres and genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation. Recent reports indicate that over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women, children and the elderly, with the number of injured exceeding 70,000. Additionally, more than 8,000 individuals are reportedly missing. In the Occupied West Bank, the death toll is over 400, and Israel continues to expand its illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank illegally. The Israeli occupation has also destroyed over 60% of Gaza’s infrastructure and buildings, including homes, hospitals, shelters, schools, mosques and churches.
It was just last Thursday more than 170 Palestinians were killed and some 800 others wounded after Israeli troops opened fire on hundreds waiting for food aid southwest of Gaza City, health officials say, as the besieged enclave faces an unprecedented hunger crisis. The 2.2 million people are living at risk of famine, and the Israeli Regime is systematically orchestrating to starve and kill the innocent Palestinians in Gaza. This barbaric act has drawn global condemnation and strong rejection.
The Australian Muslim and Palestinian communities have been deeply mourning the loss of their kin, brothers and sisters, since October last year. This grief is combined with the biased and misleading coverage of the recent events by many media outlets, which fail to uphold journalistic standards of integrity, transparency, and rigour.
Moreover, there’s growing concern over the unfair and ongoing malicious targeting of Muslim and Palestinian advocates and prominent leaders by some mainstream media agencies. These individuals and leaders, exercising their fundamental right to free speech, the very core value and principle that journalism is founded on, have been unjustly targeted and negatively portrayed with their messages distorted. These biased and unfair reports include the use of extreme propaganda to falsely suggest that these advocates and leaders are causing disharmony, using extreme propaganda, implying to condone the killing of innocent people, etc.
Most recently, some media agencies, with a long history and explicit agenda of bias against the Muslim and Palestinian communities, targeted the President of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Mr Adel Salman, who has been a strong advocate for the Palestinian people and calling for the end of their suffering. Mr Salman, who has a clear track record of advocating for multiculturalism and interfaith understanding, has been subjected to a malicious campaign twisting his words to suggest his approval of killing innocent people on October 7th. This targeting is appalling, and the distortion of his words is unequivocally rejected.
We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, strongly oppose and condemn this biased and unfair portrayal of Muslim leaders and Palestinian advocates. We stand in solidarity with all those who justly support the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian People. We urge Muslims, Palestinians, and Australians who value justice and humanity to unite in support of justice for Palestine and the Palestinians and those who advocate for this cause.
We also call for rejecting the misleading, inaccurate, and biased narratives propagated by certain media agencies, advocating for a fair and accurate representation and reporting of current events.
We also urge media agencies, journalists and reporters to uphold journalism’s core values and contribute towards the country’s social cohesion, particularly in a time when the country needs it most.
