Депутат от «Зеленых» угрожает иском коллеге из «Националов» из-за обвинений в антисемитизме

Greens MP Sophie McNeill threatens to sue Nationals MP Lachlan Hunter over antisemitism claims In short: Greens MP Sophie McNeill is threatening to sue Nationals MP Lachlan Hunter over claims of antisemitism following a row over a Gaza art display. Ms McNeill has issued Mr Hunter a 'concerns notice' asking him to retract his comments, delete social media posts and apologise. Mr Hunter has declined to comment about the notice, which is an initial step in the process of suing someone for defamation. Two of WA parliament's biggest personalities are staring down the barrel of a legal fight, with a Greens politician taking the first step towards suing a Nationals MP. The stoush stems from the display of an artwork showing the names of more than 18,000 children killed in Gaza from October 2023 in parliament's courtyard last week. It had been supported by the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine group, co-convened by Greens MP Sophie McNeill and Labor MP Dave Kelly. Nationals MP Lachlan Hunter was among those who took issue with the event, and with comments made by Ms McNeill in parliament that it showed children killed in a "genocide". A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has denied the accusations, labelling the UN report "distorted and false" and calling for the inquiry's abolition. After being suspended for four days following a clash with the deputy speaker in parliament, Mr Hunter told the media Ms McNeill's comment was a turning point which turned the event "antisemitic". "Antisemitism … actually occurred in the courtyard of the parliament," he said. Mr Hunter then claimed the organisers of the event, Perth Doctors Medical Aid for Palestine, and the Greens had expressed antisemitic views previously. "If you Google what they believe in, if you Google the rallies that they've been to, if you Google every single thing that the Greens in Western Australia and right across this nation believe in, it is all antisemitic," he said. 'Horrific slur': McNeill Ms McNeill has now issued Mr Hunter a 'concerns notice' asking him to retract his comments, delete social media posts and apologise. The notice is an initial step in the process of suing someone for defamation. "We feel like a line needs to be drawn," Ms McNeill told 102.5 ABC Perth. "It is not acceptable to make a horrific slur like that against someone, it's incredibly offensive, deeply hurtful and it causes me serious reputational harm." "We want to stop these kinds of intimidatory and bullying tactics against people who are speaking the truth about this conflict and about Gaza and about this genocide." Mr Hunter declined to comment. Perth Doctors Medical Aid for Palestine last week said it was "against all forms of racism and religious discrimination". "We believe that advocating for vulnerable Palestinian children killed in war is not and never will be antisemitic," they said in a statement. "We cannot advocate for the protection of children if we allow their suffering to remain distant or invisible — The Wall of Tears reduces any abstractions to a simple fact: too many children have died." The Australian Jewish Association was among the groups to publicly support Mr Hunter after his suspension. "The decision to host this highly political display inside Parliament House was inappropriate, particularly when it became a platform for the inflammatory and false accusations that Israel is committing genocide," he said in a statement. "Australia is experiencing unprecedented antisemitism. This is a time when we need political leaders prepared to challenge rhetoric that vilifies Israel and spills over into hostility towards Australian Jews."