Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
It’s day six of the first block of hearings, which is focused on defining antisemitism, the impact of antisemitism on Jewish Australians, and how to assess the prevalence of antisemitism in institutions.
Friday’s witnesses included Benjamin F, a gay convert to Judaism who became fearful for his safety during a Mardi Gras march, and Canberra student Mia Kline, who says she was forced to leave her share house in Canberra after her housemates confronted her over Zionism.
The previous day of hearings also heard from a non-Jewish lawyer who said he was called a “sneaky Jew” and a “Jewish rat” at a Sydney pub, and a crisis counselling hotline volunteer who became anxious about picking up the phone due to the increase in antisemitic calls after the October 7 attack.
