Two Australian healthcare workers are being investigated after threatening to kill an Israeli man on camera, claiming they had previously killed Jews in their care.
The man and woman, who said they were doctors, spoke with the man via Chatrouletka, a website where strangers are matched internationally to have conversations.
After the Israeli man revealed his nationality, the female worker said “it’s Palentine’s country, not your country you piece of s—,” according to the video.
Skyline of Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
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As the Israeli man asked for peace, the conversation escalated, and the woman said “when the time comes, I want you to remember my face, so you can understand that you will die the most disgusting death.”
The pair went on to say they would not treat the man and would kill him if he came to their hospital.
The man in scrubs said “you have no idea how many Israelis came to this hospital and…,” while sliding his arm across his neck in a throat-slashing motion.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gives an address to the Leaders’ Plenary during the 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia, on March 6, 2024. (Joel Carrett/Pool via Reuters/ File Photo)
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns confirmed the two individuals are workers at Bankstown Hospital.
Minns and Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the pair were identified quickly and were “stood down” by NSW authorities.
“They have rightly been referred to the NSW Police for criminal investigation,” Albanese wrote in a statement Tuesday on X. “Individuals found to have committed criminal antisemitic acts will face the full force of our laws.”
Members of the Synagogue recover items from the Adass Israel Synagogue on Dec. 6, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
Albanese described the comments as “vile,” and condemned the healthcare workers’ actions.
“The antisemitic video circulating today is disgusting,” he wrote. “The footage is sickening and shameful. These antisemitic comments, driven by hate, have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia.”
A synagogue was fire-bombed in Melbourne on Dec. 6, which authorities are now investigating as a likely terrorist attack. Other reports indicate cars have been set aflame and buildings have been vandalized in Sydney Jewish communities.
A member of the Jewish community recovers an item from the Adass Israel Synagogue on Dec. 6, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has reported more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents in Australia since Palestinian militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Data was collected between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Alexander Ryvchin, ECAJ co-chief executive officer, said members of the community have felt unsafe at Australian hospitals.
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“Hospitals are a place where people should never feel unsafe,” Ryvchin said. “It’s the exact contrary. People should feel entirely comfortable that they’ll be treated based on their condition and humanity, not in the way that we saw in that video.”
He added the incident was the “tip of the iceberg,” and he believes there are many Australians with the same ideology.
Members of the local Jewish community look at the damage of the arson attack at the Adass Israel Synagogue on Dec. 6, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
“Antisemitism has sadly taken root in Australia, and we need to expunge it root and branch,” Ryvchin said. “There need to be consequences.”
On Wednesday, Australia enacted a hate crimes bill imposing minimum mandatory penalties for certain hate-related crimes, including six years for terrorist offenses, three years for financing terrorism and one year for displaying hate symbols.
“There have been similar instances of such behavior in Sydney and Perth where perpetrators have been convicted and given only a token fine,” the ECAJ wrote in a statement posted on its website. “That is also unacceptable because perpetrators come to regard such fines as merely the cost of “doing business” and not as a real deterrent.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted on X after the video went viral online. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)
Though it has faced more intolerance, the Jewish population of Australia is substantially smaller than the Muslim population, which accounts for 3.2%, according to previous reporting. Jews account for just 0.4% of the population.
The Australian Federal Police was previously tasked with conducting an operation that would “focus on threats, violence, and hatred” targeting the Jewish community, Fox News Digital reported.
In addition, the prime minister allocated $25 million, about $15 million in the U.S., beginning in 2022 to increase security for Jewish organizations, according to a Reuters report. He also took a stand against hate speech and banned the Nazi salute.
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Fox News’ Beth Bailey contributed to this story.
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