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July 28, 2025 – Australia –
Former SBS World News anchor and commentator Mary Kostakidis, a prominent Australian journalist, is defending a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA). The case centers on social media posts from January 2024 in which she shared a speech by the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, adding commentary that described Israeli actions as “genocide.” The ZFA alleges these posts violate Section 18C of Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act by targeting people of Israeli origin or Jewish identity.
In federal court in Adelaide, Kostakidis’ legal team filed a strike-out application, arguing the complaint is vague, ill‑defined, and fails to specify an offended group. They contend the posts reflected political critique rather than hate speech, relying on a precedent ruling that anti‑Zionism is not inherently antisemitic. Justice Stephen McDonald acknowledged the challenges in distinguishing between criticism of Israel and anti‑Jewish sentiment, noting the risk of conflating the two.
ZFA’s lawyer countered that certain statements can simultaneously be political and discriminatory, urging the case proceed to trial. They cited Kostakidis’ broader history of tweets linking Zionism to Nazism and alleged endorsement of conspiracy theories. Michael Borsky KC, representing the ZFA, emphasized that the legal question involves whether reasonable members of the target group could be offended.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Australia, sparking public debate over the boundaries of free speech and hate speech. Supporters of Kostakidis gathered outside the court, expressing solidarity and framing the lawsuit as a threat to press freedom and political dissent. The court has yet to rule on the strike-out motion.
References –
https://consortiumnews.com/2025/07/29/australian-journalist-in-court-accused-of-anti-semitism/
