Grace Tame has pushed back at politicians who say she should lose her Australian of the Year honour after leading chants at Monday night’s anti‑Israel rally in Sydney, accusing them of trying to “deflect” from the issues at hand.
Tame joined a crowd of about 6,000 outside Sydney Town Hall protesting the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog. During her speech, she accused Herzog of “incitement of genocide” and claimed he had “signed his name on bombs that were used to kill innocent women and children.” She also led chants of “globalise the intifada,” a phrase that has become a flashpoint in Australia’s political debate.
“Intifada,” meaning “shaking off” in Arabic, is often used as a slogan of solidarity with Palestinian resistance. NSW Premier Chris Minns has moved to ban the phrase under revised hate‑speech laws, calling it “violent rhetoric.”
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said Tame’s comments were unacceptable and risked inflaming tensions at a time when the country is still reeling from the Bondi attack. “It should be a time of healing,” she told Sunrise. “What we’ve seen on our streets, unfortunately, is reinforcing that global perspective that our country is not safe for Jewish people.”
Tame dismissed the criticism, saying political leaders were attempting to distract from the humanitarian concerns raised at the rally.
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