Published on 22 March 2023
At the weekend we witnessed concerning displays of racism, intolerance and hatred from neo-Nazis outside our state’s Parliament.
As Councillors of the City of Glen Eira, we are all deeply shocked and appalled at this prejudice that has no place in our community, state or country.
We strongly condemn the behaviour which aimed to degrade our LGBTIQA+ community and to display hatred and prejudice towards our Jewish community.
We reject racism and prejudice in all its forms.
Glen Eira calls upon the Victorian Government to strengthen its anti-discrimination laws.
We must immediately ban the Nazi salute and condemn it for what it represents.
We support public comments by Ministers, the Anti-Defamation Commission and Jewish Community Council of Victoria who have expressed support for taking this important legal step.
We are proud to be the home of the largest Jewish population in Australia. 17.2 per cent of our residents are Jewish.
Glen Eira is a diverse community that is welcoming to our many cultural groups and faith groups.
We continue to demonstrate our commitment to equality and inclusion.
In Glen Eira, we have a strong history of positive action and a zero tolerance to racism and antisemitism.
In 2019 we developed our ‘Together We Stand’ joint statement alongside community leaders.
The Statement supported the freedom to safely express and practice one’s religious beliefs.
In 2022, we became the first Council in Victoria to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.
This was a proud moment for this Council and personally one for me as Mayor.
We are committed to using the definition to strengthen our efforts to combat antisemitism in all its forms in our community.
We host the Reporting Racism Tool on our website for the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
We also endorse the anti-racism campaign: ‘It stops with me’.
As we condemn the weekend’s awful displays of prejudice, we again commit ourselves to the fight against racism.
We call on our state politicians to stamp out racism, antisemitism and prejudice.
And we stand ready to support their efforts to make our Victorian community safer and to celebrate the diversity that strengthens us.
03 May 2019
In response to recent events locally and internationally, Glen Eira City Council partnered with the Anti Defamation Commission to host a breakfast forum to show its support for our ethnically, culturally and religiously diverse community and gather support to take action against racism and discrimination in all its forms.
21 June 2019
We believe that it is important to speak out to challenge and confront bigotry, discrimination and racism whenever and wherever it surfaces. The Community Reporting Tool, now available on our website, is one way in which you can report any incidence of racism or discrimination.
© 2024 Glen Eira City Council
