Liberation for everybody (except Palestinians)

What a wonderfully mature way to support the Palestinians under occupation. Sigh:

The Greens candidate tipped to take the once-safe Labor seat of Marrickville from the Deputy Premier, Carmel Tebbutt, in the state election has been targeted in a mural over her council’s decision to boycott Israel.

Marrickville Council’s support for the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS) against Israel in December has already been the subject of hostile questions to the Greens candidate and mayor of Marrickville, Fiona Byrne, at a debate with Ms Tebbutt last week.

Yesterday a mural in Newtown stating ”Say no to the burqa” was temporarily repainted by its artist, Sergio Redegalli, to read ”Say no to Fiona Byrne”. The burqa-clad woman with a strike through her was replaced by a figure in green and a mayoral sceptre stabbing a Star of David.

Ms Byrne said that the mural was dehumanising but she stood by the boycott: ”We don’t live in a vacuum ”¦ things that happen nationally and internally affect people in our local area.”

But Ms Tebbutt said people in Marrickville were more concerned with issues ”close to home”. ”I do not believe that individual councils ”¦ carrying resolutions for a boycott of Israel help achieve justice for Palestinians,” she said.

Mr Redegalli, a Newton resident, said he was only keeping the new mural up for 24 hours to document it.

The artist said he was not a member of any political party and ”hates” Labor. ”[I wanted to] get people to look up Fiona Byrne, see who she is, what she stands for,” he said.

And a point of history. Current Labor member for Marrickviille Carmel Tebbutt has unsurprisingly condemned the BDS motion as being irrelevant to local council (assisted by her husband, ALP frontbencher Anthony Albanese, all without disclosure in Murdoch’s Australian, of course, in classic ALP and tabloid media style). She is facing a likely defeat at the upcoming NSW election by the Greens.

Back in the day, Tebbutt was a big supporter of independence…for East Timor:

I speak briefly to this significant motion expressing solidarity with the people of East Timor. Along with my colleagues I commend the Hon. Janelle Saffin for moving this motion and for her diligence and commitment to pursuing issues such as independence for the people of East Timor. As the Hon. D. F. Moppett said, she does it with a lot of valour.

I wish to go back some time because following this Saturday’s local government elections, this is probably the last time that I will speak in this House wearing two hats: that of a Minister and as a member of Marrickville Council. In 1994 Marrickville Council placed a memorial in Marrickville Park to the people of East Timor acknowledging the support they gave to Australian soldiers during World War II. It was a memorable occasion. As most people would be aware, Marrickville is a multicultural society and the council was able to acknowledge those East Timor people who live in the area and the support given in the past by the people of East Timor to Australian soldiers.

It is not too late to save the people of East Timor, and Australia, with its close ties in the region, is in a strong position to contribute to this and has a responsibility to do so. I hope that this motion plays its part.

UPDATE: The Sydney Morning Herald has just published the full version of the story above:

The Greens candidate tipped to take the once-safe Labor seat of Marrickville from the Deputy Premier, Carmel Tebbutt, in the state election has been targeted in a mural over her council’s decision to boycott Israel.

Marrickville Council’s support for the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS) against Israel in December has already been the subject of hostile questions to the Greens candidate and mayor of Marrickville, Fiona Byrne, at a debate with Ms Tebbutt last week.

The policy has been attacked by numerous media commentators and Labor member for Grayndler, Anthony Albanese, who is also Ms Tebbutt’s husband, penned a newspaper column last month condemning the boycott as “unfortunate and misguided at best”.

Yesterday a mural in Newtown stating “Say no to the burqa” was temporarily repainted by its artist, Sergio Redegalli, to read “Say no to Fiona Byrne”. The burqa-clad woman with a strike through her was replaced by a figure in green and a mayoral sceptre stabbing a Star of David.

Ms Byrne said that the mural was dehumanising but she stood by the boycott.

“We don’t live in a vacuum ”¦ things that happen nationally and internationally affect people in our local area.”

Ms Byrne said Israel had not been singled out, and that she supported the federal government’s sanctions on countries such as Zimbabwe and the longstanding council boycott of Burma.

Ms Tebbutt was on Marrickville Council in 1998 when it voted to boycott Burma.

At the time, Labor mayor of Marrickville Barry Cotter faced a barrage of criticism.

“We know our decision alone is not going to bring down the Burmese dictators, but hopefully it will start a roll,” he told The Daily Telegraph in April, 1998.

But in response to the current controversy Ms Tebbutt said people in Marrickville were more concerned with issues “close to home”.

“I do not believe that individual councils ”¦ carrying resolutions for a boycott of Israel help achieve justice for Palestinians,” she said.

Redegalli, a Newton resident, said he was keeping the new mural up for only 24 hours to document it.

He has drawn praise from anti-Muslim immigration groups for the original anti-burqa mural and has addressed a number of political meetings, including an Ironbark Club meeting in December, which is run by the far-right nationalist Australian Protectionist Party (APP).

He told the Herald he planned to send photos of the new mural to a range of contacts, including prominent members of the APP and the website the Gates of Vienna, which claims the West is in a “new phase” of an “old war” against Islam.

The artist said he was not a member of any political party and hated Labor.

“[I wanted to] get people to look up Fiona Byrne, see who she is, what she stands for,” he said.

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

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