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Really? Media Claim Sydney Mob’s Chants for Massacre of Jews Is ‘Celebrating Syrian Regime Change’

Women hold up flags during a a pro-Palestinian rally in Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Lewis Jackson
The downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad marks the end of a brutal, decades-long regime that devastated a country and unleashed one of the most harrowing civil wars in modern history. It’s undoubtedly a moment that many have long awaited.
Scenes of jubilation erupted in Syria and around the world, with refugees from the war-torn country celebrating in the streets, as news spread that Assad had fled following a lightning rebel advance.
But amid the joy, something darker reared its head: the antisemitism we’ve sadly come to expect in such moments.
In Australia, a large crowd of Syrians was filmed chanting: “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahud, Jaish Mohammed Sauf Ya’ud” — a chilling reference to a 7th-century massacre of Jews by Mohammed’s army.
The slogan’s modern-day message is unmistakable: a call for violence against Jews.
“Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahud, Jaish Mohammed Sauf Ya’ud” — “Watch Out Jews, Remember Khaybar, the Army of Mohammed is returning.”
No, @newscomauHQ, this is not Australians celebrating Syrian regime change. They are chanting incitement to murder Jews.
https://t.co/T6yDiQqbzy pic.twitter.com/RgAYv2iqTH— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 8, 2024
Disturbing as this scene was — a mob in broad daylight in Sydney, brazenly inciting hatred and violence — what followed was arguably worse.
News.com.au, Australia’s most widely-read news outlet, described the incident as “Australians celebrating Syrian regime change” in a video posted on its website.
This gross misrepresentation of the event is shocking — not necessarily because of malice, but because of sheer journalistic negligence.
The journalist likely saw a video of dancing and what sounded like celebratory Arabic chanting and assumed it was innocent.
But ignorance cannot be a defense for journalists and editors.
It is quite literally a journalist’s job to dispel ignorance — not perpetuate it. Their role is to provide facts, context, and explanations, ensuring their audience understands the reality of what they’re seeing.
When confronted with footage of Syrians in Sydney chanting in Arabic, a journalist has a duty to find out what’s being said, especially when that chant carries such an unmistakable tone of hate.
What makes this worse is news.com.au’s response to criticism.
Instead of issuing a correction and apology after HonestReporting raised the alarm, the outlet quietly removed the footage from its website.
Antisemitism in Australia is surging.
Synagogues burned. Cars vandalized. Jews attacked.
Yet the media calls it “suspected arson” or “war-inspired protests.”
This isn’t about Gaza—it’s hate, plain and simple. Silence fuels it. Call it what it is: antisemitism.… pic.twitter.com/ApoPoYCgrP— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 9, 2024
Does news.com.au not believe Australians deserve to know that people in their country are chanting violent threats against Jews on Sydney’s streets?
Do Jews in Sydney not have a right to know about these incidents for their own safety?
Yet, this episode isn’t just about one video — it’s part of a broader pattern of declining journalistic standards. Increasingly, reporters fail to identify language, symbols, and imagery tied to terror groups, or worse, avoid addressing such hatred when they recognize it at all.
We’ve seen this pattern repeated during the wave of anti-Israel hate rallies in major cities worldwide following the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7 last year.
Protesters held signs glorifying Hamas, waved the flags of proscribed terror organizations, called for a violent intifada, and brandished placards promoting conspiracy theories, such as “Zionists” controlling the media.
Antisemitism on full display
“Who controls Britain? It’s the Jewish people that control Britain! 40% of the MPs are Jewish and that’s why these police are under there…”
FYI 40% of MPs are not Jewish. H/T @MahyarTousi pic.twitter.com/3zSiRd3iI6
— Harry’s Place (@hurryupharry) March 30, 2024
Yet, the media largely refused to identify and call out the antisemitism on show at these rallies.
By sanitizing or mischaracterizing such demonstrations, outlets aren’t just failing their readers — they’re complicit in promoting this hatred. The media have no defense. Their silence or misrepresentation isn’t neutrality; it’s enabling.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville
i24 News – The United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.
French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.
This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.
However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.
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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack

A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
i24 News – The Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.
Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.
The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.
He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.
The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.
His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.
The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.
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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.
“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.
Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.
The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.
Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.
German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.
Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.
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