The sacking of Australian journalist Antoinette Lattouf over her views on Israel was “unlawful” and influenced by “pro-Israel lobbyists,” the Australian Federal Court ruled last Wednesday.
Lattouf was fired from her position at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation following comments made in December 2023, “opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.”
She will be compensated in the amount of $70,000.
Prior to being hired by ABC, Lattouf made numerous social media posts about the war in Gaza, mainly condemning the killing of Palestinian civilians, the ruling said.
In December 2023, Lattouf was hired by ABC to present the Sydney Mornings radio program for five days, from December 18 to 22.
However, according to the ruling, complaints from the public began to pour in, mostly regarding her alleged antisemitic views, lack of impartiality, and unsuitability to present for ABC.
Judge rules pro-Israel lobbyists campaigned to remove Lattouf from broadcasts
Judge Darryl Rangiah’s ruling asserted that “It became clear that the complaints were an orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air.”
ABC leadership advised Lattouf not to post anything on social media that would suggest she was not impartial in relation to the Israel-Hamas War.
However, on December 20, ABC managers became aware that the previous day, Lattouf had reposted a Human Rights Watch (HRW) video report titled, “The Israeli Government is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza,” on her Instagram account, adding the words, “HRW reporting starvation as a tool of war” to the HRW post.
“The HRW report had already been the subject of a story on ABC News. The consternation of senior managers of the ABC turned into what can be described as a state of panic,” said the ruling.
Within the hour, ABC made the decision that Lattouf should be taken off the air. She was told her social media post breached ABC’s policies, and she should leave the premises.
The ruling cites Australia’s Fair Work Act 2009, which states that employment should not be terminated on the grounds of political opinion, race, or nationality. Lattouf claimed that she was terminated on the grounds of all three, citing her Lebanese race and national extraction, despite being born in Australia.
Judge Rangiah ultimately dismissed Lattouf’s claim that she was terminated due to race or national extraction but held that her employment was unlawfully terminated due to her expressed political opinions.