A man has been charged for wearing an anti-Israel T-shirt near the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in Sydney.
Ian Minus, 68, was filmed by TV news crews after he was spotted wearing the T-shirt, which had a blue swastika-like symbol with a Star of David in the centre above the words “anti-Semitism, proud to be accused, speak up!” outside the office building hosting the hearing on Clarence Street on Wednesday morning.
NSW Police said he was spoken to by officers from anti-Semitism taskforce Operation Shelter who were patrolling outside the building and given a move-on order for wearing an “offensive symbol” at about 11am, which he complied with.
He was then arrested at Manly Police Station at 2.45pm and charged with “behave in offensive manner in/near public place/school” and “cause prohibited Nazi symbol to be displayed in public place”.
Mr Minus, from Killarney Heights on the city’s Northern Beaches, was given conditional bail and will appear in Manly Local Court on May 27.
When asked about the T-shirt by 7News he asked “is this a swastika?” and said he had “business in town and I wear this all the time”, and denied his presence was linked to the hearing.
“Is there a Royal Commission here? I’m sorry, I’m just enjoying a cup of coffee in the streets of Sydney,” he said.
He also denied the shirt was disrespectful, and said: “What’s disrespectful is what’s happening in Gaza, and Lebanon, and overseas – the killing of innocent people and children. What is it about group punishment that Zionists don’t understand or object to?”
When asked what the Royal Commission had to do with Israel’s military actions in Gaza, he replied “I don’t know, you tell me”.
The Royal Commission said in a statement it was “appalled that such an item of clothing was worn in the vicinity of our hearing venue” and accused Mr Minus of wearing an “anti-Semitic shirt”.
“Safety of witnesses is paramount to the Royal Commission. We want to reassure witnesses and those wishing to engage with the Royal Commission that safety protocols are in place,” it said.
Mr Minus posted about the T-shirt in a now-deleted post on social media on May 3, writing: “Previously I would have expected negative reactions to my stance on Israel and its lethal form of Zionism.
“Now it seems those individuals are strangely silent in their cult-like support of this war mongering genocidal nation state. This T-shirt is getting positive reactions now, not surprisingly as people realise the true agenda and its effects on the entire world.”
The Royal Commission, set up after intense pressure from Jewish groups in response to the Bondi Islamic terrorist attack, heard from more than a dozen people with “lived experience” on Wednesday, its third day of public hearings.
Header image: Left, right, Mr Minus being moved on by police (9News, 7News).
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