The New South Wales Police, under Strike Force Mealing, disclosed on Friday that their inquiry found “no evidence” supporting the initial claim of an antisemitic chant, “gas the Jews,” during the protest.
Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon detailed the use of an expert in biometric science to analyze audio and video files, concluding with “overwhelming certainty” that the crowd had chanted ‘Where’s the Jews.’
However the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has rejected the findings, insisting that the new theory obviously still represented a threatening chant directed at the Jewish community.
ECAJ CEO Alex Ryvchin emphasized standing by witness reports, asserting, “We know what we heard, and the world knows what was said.”
NSW Police were unable to corroborate or rule out multiple witness statements claiming they heard pro-Palestine protesters chanting “Gas the Jews” because they couldn’t attribute the chants to identifiable individuals for investigation.
The only available video evidence of…
— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) February 2, 2024
The protest, marked by flares and international outrage, occurred just two days after Hamas’ attacks on Israel. The ECAJ stated that, regardless of the specific words used, the event was inherently threatening.
Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton echoed concerns about the safety of Jewish Australians, stating, “It was a moment of national shame… It has no place in our country whatsoever.”
Police, despite receiving statements from attendees who heard the antisemitic phrase, could not attribute it to a specific individual.
