Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has been criticised by federal MPs and the NSW premier for leading chants of “globalise the intifada” at a rally against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Ms Tame told the crowd assembled at Sydney’s Town Hall on Monday night that the Israeli leader had engaged in “incitement to genocide” and “signed his name on bombs that were used to kill innocent women and children”.
In September 2025 the UN Human Rights Council released the findings of its inquiry into genocide. It found that genocide was occurring in Gaza.
Mr Herzog and Israel have previously denied allegations of inciting genocide.
Ms Tame accused Australia of being “a so-called democracy that punishes peaceful protesters like us but welcomes a war criminal with open arms”, before chanting “from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada!”
Grace Tame was among those speaking at the Sydney protest. (ABC News: Jack Fisher)
“Globalise the Intifada” is a contentious phrase which the state government has been considering outlawing under revised hate speech laws.
The word “intifada” means “shaking off” in Arabic and has been used to refer to two periods of violent Palestinian protest against Israel.
Members of the Jewish community have described it as a hateful call for violence.
‘Distressing scene’ for Jewish community, premier says
NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday described Ms Tame’s choice of words as “terrible”.
“I thought that was a distressing scene,” Mr Minns said.
“In the circumstances where six weeks ago we lost 15 members of the Jewish community to a hate crime, a violent terrorist uprising, that’s what the consequences of ‘globalise the intifada’ mean, a violent uprising in Sydney’s streets.
“I can only imagine what those families thought when they saw someone screaming it from the steps of Town Hall, the pain they would have gone through.”
Protesters clashed with police at the rally. (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce told Sky News he thought Ms Tame should be stripped of her Australian of the Year honour.
“You have a responsibility, when given an honour by the Australian people, to basically conduct yourself in a way that inspires the harmonious nature of Australia,” he said.
In a statement, Ms Tame accused some of using her as a deflection tactic.
“Politicians and the press can deflect onto me all they like, but I’m not the story,” she said.
Debate continues over phrase
Gamel Kheir from the Lebanese Muslim Association said the issue should not distract from the actions of police at the protest, who were captured on film appearing to punch protesters and roughly hauling away Muslim men who were praying off the ground.
“If we are going to go off into semantics then we are arguing about words. What we saw yesterday was beyond words it was actual physical action,” he said.
“Australia as a society should have much more alarm when police become physically involved in a peaceful protest rather than just the mere words.”
When Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh used Question Time to demand Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “unequivocally condemn” Ms Tame’s comments, he accused the Opposition of trying to score political points.
“We need to not continually look for political opportunities from what is a devastating situation, we need to turn the temperature down,” Mr Albanese said.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek would not comment directly on Ms Tame’s speech, but described the phrase as “damaging”.
“At its heart, what it means is a single state, a single Palestinian state or a single Israeli state, that is a damaging and divisive message,” she said.
“Labor supports a two-state solution… we don’t support slogans or chants or statements that suggest a single state.”