Brisbane Councillor Ordered to Apologize and Repay Funds for Israel-Palestine Article

Brisbane City Councillor Ordered to Apologize for Controversial Newsletter

A Brisbane City councillor has been sanctioned following the publication of a controversial article in her ward newsletter that sparked accusations of antisemitism and inflamed community tensions.

Councillor Trina Massey has been ordered to issue a public apology in her next ward newsletter and on social media platforms. She must also reimburse Brisbane City Council for half of the $20,000 publication costs and undertake training and counselling on the code of conduct at her own expense.

The article in question was not written by Massey herself but by academic and rapper Dr. Jamal Nabulsi, who was paid $2,800 for the 500-word contribution. Despite not authoring the piece, Massey defended its content to investigators, maintaining that she was critiquing “Zionism” and the state of Israel, not Jewish people.

“Some of the information included in my newsletter may be uncomfortable to read, but this is the nature of truth telling,” Massey stated in a social media post in September. “As Australians living on stolen Indigenous land, it’s important that we sit with this discomfort as we challenge our own histories of occupation and invasion.”

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner strongly condemned his colleague’s actions, arguing that the rhetoric undermined social cohesion within the city.

“She used Hamas talking points,” Schrinner said. “This is something that agencies like ASIO have warned against… they were warning politicians to tone it down and be careful about their language and not fan the flames of hatred.”

The Lord Mayor added: “Not only is this material offensive to our Jewish community… I am genuinely sickened.”

The controversy comes at a particularly sensitive time for Australia’s Jewish community, following a recent attack in Sydney’s Bondi neighborhood. However, a member of the ethics committee that made the ruling noted that the timing of the decision was coincidental, with the vote having been scheduled before the Bondi incident.

Jason Steinberg, president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, joined Schrinner at City Hall to condemn Massey’s actions. “This is propaganda,” Steinberg said, adding that “several members have said they don’t feel safe walking in West End,” the area represented by Massey.

When contacted by reporters, the Greens councillor initially did not respond to phone calls or text messages, but later provided a statement through her party.

“The LNP lord mayor’s comments today are shameful, defamatory, and are not substantiated by the council’s own report. I reject his claims and am considering my options,” she said. “It is disgraceful that this LNP politician would cynically exploit the nation’s grief in an attempt to silence my community’s strong advocacy for peace. My constituents advocate for peace, and will continue to do so.”

Despite the controversy, Massey has previously condemned Hamas and the October 7 attacks. Following the Bondi incident, she posted on social media: “Jewish people have a right to safety. Antisemitism has no place in our community, and this abhorrent attack is an attack on all of us.”

The case highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding discussions of the Israel-Palestine conflict in Australian politics and the challenges local representatives face when addressing international issues in community communications. It also underscores the heightened sensitivities around antisemitism and the responsibilities of elected officials to consider the impact of their public statements on community harmony and safety.