Victoria’s Cypriot Community leader condemns Hellenic Choir’s decision to withdraw from the Bondi benefit concert

Someone indispensable take a superior look astatine the Australian Hellenic Choir (AHC). As President of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria, I bash not judge that Greeks and Greek Cypriots support the Choir’s determination to withdraw from a planned Greek–Jewish payment performance successful support of the families of victims of the Bondi terrorist attack, which ultimately led to the lawsuit being cancelled.

In my view, this was an antisemitic determination by some members of the Hellenic Choir, disguised arsenic a Palestinian protest. Such actions indispensable beryllium condemned by each thinking Greeks who understand that supporting the families of those murdered successful a terrorist onslaught successful Australia is not an endorsement of the Israeli Government, but a stand against terrorism and antisemitism, and an enactment of charity.

The enactment of the Australian Hellenic Choir should not person reduced this substance to a vote. It should ne'er person reached that point. The leadership’s position, arsenic expressed by President James Tsolakis successful support of the event, should person been upheld. Those unwilling to enactment should person stepped aside, allowing others committed to opposing antisemitism and terrorism to proceed.

This enactment by a radical of ill-informed choir members has damaged the representation our communities person worked to project—one of unity successful opposing antisemitism and terrorism successful Australia. It has besides acceptable backmost Greek–Jewish relations and broader practice betwixt Greece, Cyprus and Israel connected confronting antisemitism.

This determination cannot beryllium allowed to stand and should beryllium condemned by each leaders within the Greek and Cypriot communities. I americium gratified to spot my adjacent Bill Papastergiadis, President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, besides condemn this action.

The Choir enactment indispensable present strongly cull this result and instrumentality wide safeguards to guarantee the organisation is not steered towards antisemitic oregon immoderate different racist positions.

Following the outrage within the Greek community, arsenic reported successful Neos Kosmos, the suggestion that this was simply a “timing issue” is not credible. There was nary effort to reschedule—only cancellation, contempt afloat consciousness of the timeline when the committedness was made.

Instead of deflection, the Choir should connection a sincere apology for the wounded caused to some the Greek and Jewish communities, and to the families of those murdered successful Bondi. As the president of the Cypriot Community of Melbourne Victoria, I say, we stand with our Jewish Australian brothers and sisters and the victims of the Bondi Terrorist attack.

*Theo Theophanous is the President of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne Victoria and a erstwhile Victorian Labor Government Minister.