Hi Paul,
We are writing with an urgent update on our campaign supporting journalist Mary Kostakidis. The Federal Court case brought against her is projected by her legal team to cost up to millions of dollars, and we need your help to reach 10,000 signatures on our open letter calling on the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) and its CEO to discontinue the proceedings. Can you share the open letter with three friends?Mary is facing Federal Court proceedings over two posts she shared on X/Twitter about Gaza, which the ZFA alleges contravene section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth). Mary’s supporters are deeply concerned that she has been targeted for her criticism of the conduct of the State of Israel, in a way they say that risks sending a chilling message to anyone expressing political views online. “Anybody on Twitter or Facebook could be standing shocked before a Federal Court, going through all of the Facebook posts you’ve ever made to see whether they give context to a claim,” Mary’s lawyer Mark Davis has cautioned.Due to the volume of material in dispute, commentators have noted that the Court may be asked to adjudicate on highly contentious issues, including: whether Hamas or Israel seeks the destruction of the other, to what degree Hezbollah is to be regarded as a terrorist organisation or a resistance movement, which accounts of the 7 October attacks are accurate, and whether alleged attacks on synagogues in Australia were motivated by antisemitism.Mary’s legal team filed her defence in the Federal Court last week, and a case management hearing is expected to take place on 18 December, at which the Court is likely to set the timetable for the trial.This case has the potential to set a far‑reaching precedent for how section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act applies to political commentary and journalism, with serious implications for freedom of expression in Australia.
That’s why we are asking for your help to reach 10,000 signatures on our open letter before the next hearing in December.
Return to Bomb Alley 1982 – The Falklands Deception, by Paul Cardin
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Wirral In It Together 