AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Australia’s federal election campaign has been shaken by accusations against candidate Vivien Lees, who was alleged by media outlets and Jewish groups to have “links to Hamas.” The controversy, analysts say, reflects the growing influence of Zionist lobbying networks seeking to suppress pro-Palestinian discourse and silence critics of Israel in public life.
The uproar began in October 2025, when Lees was accused of supporting Hamas simply for referencing a survey question posed by Ahmad Najjar, described by commentators as a “Hamas sympathizer.” The question itself concerned freedom of religion and the right to wear religious attire, but media outlets and political figures quickly framed it as evidence of extremist ties.
Major Zionist organizations in Australia, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, reportedly leveraged their political influence to frame the issue as a “threat to national security and democratic values.”
Observers view this incident as part of a broader pattern across Australia and Canada, where institutional lobbying and media manipulation have equated criticism of the Israeli regime with antisemitism, effectively stifling voices of Palestinian advocacy.
In response, pro-Palestinian groups such as the Palestine Action Movement organized nationwide protests condemning this campaign of censorship. Progressive Jewish organizations, including Tzedek Collective, also challenged the narrative, criticizing Israeli policies and affirming solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.
Analysts suggest that, despite the entrenched power of Zionist lobbies, grassroots resistance against censorship and for open debate on Palestine is steadily gaining momentum across Australia.
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