分类： society

On the opening day of Friday’s sitting of Australia’s Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion, the first witness to take the stand, a librarian identified only as Benjamin F, delivered a harrowing emotional testimony that laid bare the rising toxicity of anti-Jewish prejudice in the country. Raised in a Christian household, Benjamin shared that he faced surprisingly little hostility when he came out as gay to his loved ones, receiving widespread acceptance and support from friends and family that allowed him to live openly without persistent prejudice. That warm reception stood in stark contrast to the bigotry he encountered after he formally completed his conversion to Judaism in 2022, an experience he described as “horrific” as he choked back tears throughout his address. Benjamin told the commission that converting to his new faith has cost him decades-long close friendships, with many lifelong companions abandoning him entirely after learning of his religious choice. The isolation has left him feeling deeply lonely and adrift, he said, adding that the level of hatred directed at him since his conversion has been far more severe than any bias he faced after coming out. “I feel alone. There’s been times you’ve had life-long friendships that have disintegrated. It’s lonely,” he told the commission through sobs. He also explained that any mention of his Jewish identity or topics related to Judaism inevitably gets tied back to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by others, regardless of context. Beyond broken social bonds, Benjamin has faced direct verbal slurs and has even had the validity of his religious conversion repeatedly questioned by critics. The most striking moment of his testimony came when he described his experience attending a recent Sydney Mardi Gras parade, where he required police escort for his safety. He told the commission that he felt a genuine, unprecedented fear for his life during the event — a terror he never experienced even as a young gay man coming out in a less accepting era. Benjamin’s testimony marks one of the first firsthand accounts of rising anti-Semitism shared at the royal commission, which was convened to examine the state of religious prejudice and social cohesion across Australia. More witness statements and findings are expected to be released as the commission’s proceedings continue.

The tragic passing of a young Indigenous Australian girl, Kumanjayi Little Baby, has sent shockwaves across the nation, igniting public fury and reigniting long-simmering debates over systemic disparities and cultural respect for First Nations communities. As BBC correspondent Katy Watson unpacks the complex case, its roots stretch far beyond a single death, touching on deep-seated cultural sensitivities and ongoing failures of government and institutional systems to protect Indigenous Australians.

Kumanjayi Little Baby’s case has become a flashpoint because of how systemic neglect has intersected with profound cultural misunderstanding. For many Indigenous communities, the circumstances surrounding her death — and the lack of accountability that preceded it — are not an isolated tragedy, but a symptom of decades of marginalization that have left First Nations children and families disproportionately vulnerable to harm. The anger that has erupted across Australia also stems from long-unaddressed calls for systemic reform, from child protection services that have historically failed Indigenous communities to broader efforts to close the gap in life expectancy and safety between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Cultural sensitivities have further amplified the public reaction, as missteps by authorities and media outlets in acknowledging Kumanjayi’s cultural identity and heritage have added insult to injury for Indigenous communities. Many have pointed out that repeated failures to center Indigenous cultural perspectives in cases involving First Nations people perpetuate the same disrespect that fuels systemic inequity. What began as grief over a young life cut short has now coalesced into a national movement demanding meaningful change, accountability, and a renewed commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of Australia’s First Nations peoples.

A landmark compensation scheme for survivors of sexual abuse linked to late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed has marked a key milestone, with more than 75 claimants already awarded full settlement, while roughly 200 additional claims remain under active review. The update, confirmed by the Harrods Redress Scheme to Agence France-Presse on Thursday, comes amid a growing institutional reckoning over the decades of alleged abuse and failures by law enforcement to address the complaints.

Per the scheme’s official statement, a total of 259 survivors have joined the compensation process to date, with many already receiving interim payout. All remaining claims, which were submitted before the March 31 application deadline, will continue moving through review toward final resolution, the organization added.

The announcement coincides with confirmation from the United Kingdom’s police watchdog that a current London Metropolitan Police officer and four retired officers are now under investigation over how they previously handled the sexual assault allegations against Al-Fayed. The independent inquiry focuses specifically on the quality of police investigations launched in 2008 and 2013 into claims against the late Egyptian billionaire. By the time Al-Fayed died in 2023 at the age of 94, approximately 21 formal complaints had been filed with the Metropolitan Police, but none ever resulted in criminal prosecution.

Al-Fayed, who purchased London’s iconic luxury Harrods department store in 1985, faces widespread allegations of systemic rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and human trafficking spanning decades of his ownership. The scale of the abuse only came into widespread public view after a landmark BBC investigative documentary into the rape and assault claims was released in September 2024, which prompted hundreds of women to come forward with their own experiences. In response to the growing outcry, Harrods launched the independent Redress Scheme in March 2025.

The luxury retail giant has issued a sweeping public apology for the harm inflicted on survivors, acknowledging that institutional failures allowed Al-Fayed’s abuse to continue unchecked. “We apologise unreservedly for the sexual abuse inflicted upon survivors by Fayed who abused his power wherever he operated. We acknowledge survivors were failed,” the company said in an official statement.

Under the scheme’s rules, eligible survivors can receive compensation payments of up to £400,000 (equivalent to roughly $544,000), with payout amounts scaled based on the severity of harm each survivor experienced. For context, claimants who were forced to undergo invasive gynaecological examinations — ordered by Al-Fayed to check for sexually transmitted infections or verify virginity — are guaranteed a minimum £10,000 settlement. The scheme is limited to claimants holding potential legal claims against Harrods for abuse perpetrated by Al-Fayed, a restriction the company says is necessary to align with the scheme’s mandate.

Earlier the same day, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the UK’s police oversight body, confirmed the five officers under investigation are being probed for potential professional misconduct. “The victims-survivors are being kept updated on the progress of our investigation,” the IOPC statement added.

Accounts of past police failures have already emerged from survivor families. The mother of a deceased complainant told the BBC her daughter’s allegations were brushed off by officers, who told her the case would come down to her word against Al-Fayed’s, and that her claim would simply be added to a growing “pile” of similar complaints from other women.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed Thursday that the force is fully cooperating with the IOPC investigation, which was first launched in January 2025. The force added that its own separate criminal investigation into individuals who may have helped enable Al-Fayed’s alleged offending remains active. Back in March, the Met announced it had interviewed three women on suspicion of aiding and abetting rape and facilitating human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The investigation into Al-Fayed’s alleged networks extends beyond the UK. French authorities have been probing a large-scale alleged human trafficking operation reportedly established by Al-Fayed, who purchased Paris’s Ritz Hotel six years before he bought Harrods, in 1979.

Rachael Louw, a former Harrods saleswoman who has been interviewed by France’s anti-trafficking agency OCRTEH, told AFP she was officially recognized as a victim of modern slavery by UK authorities in April. She described the recognition as “a validation and a vindication of what I said to the Met when I first reported back in 2024.”

Survivor advocates say the IOPC investigation is a small step forward, but are calling for a full, sweeping inquiry into the full scope of the alleged trafficking network. Justine, a former Harrods employee and member of the survivor advocacy group No One Above, told AFP that the operation Al-Fayed ran was a coordinated trafficking ring that relied on systemic support. “What the Fayeds ran was a trafficking operation — one that required a network of facilitators, institutional access, and sustained cover,” she said.

A Melbourne woman accused of participating in an alleged domestic slavery scheme has been cleared of all charges midway through a joint trial, while her husband remains before the court facing allegations of holding an elderly woman as a forced laborer in their home.

Angie Yeh Ling Liaw stood trial alongside her husband, Chee Kit “Max” Chong, at Victoria’s County Court. Prosecutors alleged Liaw aided Chong in holding a 61-year-old woman in de facto slavery between February and October 2022, a case that has drawn attention over the alleged exploitative conditions the victim endured.

On Thursday morning, Judge Michael Cahill made the rare mid-trial ruling to dismiss all charges against Liaw, informing the seated jury that after a full review of the prosecution’s evidence, a legal finding of acquittal was required. “Having considered all of the evidence in the prosecution case I’ve decided as a matter of law that Ms Liaw should be acquitted of the charge against her,” Cahill told the jury. A formal not guilty verdict was immediately recorded, after which Liaw left the courtroom accompanied by her legal team.

Chong’s trial remains ongoing, with his defense barrister Diana Price confirming that her client will not testify in his own defense nor call any witness evidence to support his case. Jurors are set to receive closing arguments from both prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg SC and Price in the coming days.

At the opening of the trial, Ginsbourg laid out the prosecution’s case against Chong, outlining allegations that the defendant intentionally held the 61-year-old woman as a slave and assaulted her on three separate occasions. According to the prosecution’s account, the victim was forced to carry out unpaid domestic work for the couple, and was denied basic living comforts: she was made to sleep on a staircase or in the couple’s garage, had access to food and rest restricted if her work did not meet Chong’s standards, and endured repeated physical abuse. Chong maintained complete control over every aspect of the victim’s life, from her ability to leave the property to access to medical care, acting as though he owned her, Ginsbourg alleged. On one occasion, Chong reportedly told the victim she could only leave if she paid him $1 million, otherwise she would be forced to remain in the home. The victim ultimately escaped in October 2022, and has since died of causes unrelated to the alleged abuse, court documents confirm.

For the defense, Price pushed back against the prosecution’s narrative, acknowledging the victim did live with Chong and assisted the household with domestic work and financial contributions, but denying all claims of assault and enslavement. Price argued that the victim may have had motive to exaggerate or fabricate her claims to police, and contended that even if the court found the victim was treated poorly, that treatment does not legally meet the definition of slavery. The trial is expected to conclude in the coming days as the jury prepares to deliberate on a verdict for Chong.

Across Australia, communities are preparing to gather Thursday for coordinated candlelit vigils to remember Kumanjayi Little Baby, a 5-year-old non-verbal Indigenous girl whose alleged murder last month has sparked national grief and fiery unrest in the central Australian outback town of Alice Springs.

A warning is issued at the outset for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: this report references a deceased individual, with images used with full family consent in line with Indigenous cultural protocols. For many First Nations communities across Australia, sharing the name, image or voice of a person who has passed away without explicit family permission violates traditional mourning customs, a rule that has been respected in this coverage.

Kumanjayi Little Baby went missing from Old Timers Camp, a government-designated Aboriginal transient camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs, in the late hours of April 25. She was last seen when she was put to bed shortly before midnight, and raised the alarm when she was discovered gone several hours later. Authorities launched a large-scale multi-agency search for the young girl, and her remains were found just five days after her disappearance, on April 30, roughly three kilometers from the camp.

Hours after the discovery of her body, 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis was taken into custody. Lewis had been assaulted by community members in the immediate aftermath of the news, and was transferred to an Alice Springs hospital for medical treatment following his arrest. The arrest triggered a violent riot outside the hospital facility, where crowds of angry and grieving community members gathered. Police ultimately arrested five people in connection with the riot, but Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family moved quickly to call for calm amid the unrest.

In a public statement, senior Warlpiri elder and family member Robin Granites urged the public to let the formal justice process proceed, and asked for respect for the family as they carry out “sorry business” — the traditional period of collective mourning observed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In a development that underscores growing scrutiny of systemic failures surrounding the case, three child protection workers have been formally stood down as of Wednesday amid an ongoing investigation into the circumstances that led to Kumanjayi Little Baby’s disappearance and death.

Organizers have opened the Thursday vigils to all members of the public, and the girl’s family has asked attendees to wear pink — Kumanjayi Little Baby’s favorite color, as a small tribute to her short life. The main vigil in Alice Springs will kick off at 5:30 pm local time at Anzac Sports Oval, designed to create a safe, supportive space for people to process shared grief and stand with the girl’s family, Alice Springs Mayor Asta Hill explained in a social media announcement.

The tribute will not be limited to central Australia: vigils are also scheduled in every Australian state and territory capital, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart, with additional gatherings planned in dozens of smaller regional towns across the country. The coordinated national events come as the tragedy has reignited national conversation about child safety, systemic support for remote Indigenous communities, and ongoing gaps in social services that have left many First Nations children vulnerable.