Fresh condemnation for Malcolm Roberts over notorious antisemitic mural post

Warning: photo within story contains antisemitic imagery

One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts shared an image of a notorious antisemitic mural on his social media, described as “the most powerful pic I’ve ever seen”, as his repeated promotion of conspiracy theories was condemned by Jewish leaders.

The image, titled Freedom for Humanity, depicts a group of businessmen and bankers with exaggerated features gathered around a Monopoly-style board counting money. In the background is a pyramid with an eyeball in it – synonymous with the Illuminati conspiracy theory. To one side of the painting, a man holds up a placard that says: “The New World Order is the enemy of humanity.”

Painted by graffiti artist Kalen Ockerman, known as Mear One, on a wall in London’s East End in 2012, it was removed by local authorities after complaints from residents that it was antisemitic.

The mural became an international political controversy after former British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was criticised for initially defending its artist. Corbyn later apologised, saying he had failed to properly examine an image that was “deeply disturbing and antisemitic”. Mear One has denied being antisemitic, saying the work was about “class and privilege”.

The post on X, made in May 2024, has drawn fresh condemnation from Jewish leaders after the senator continued to promote a string of conspiracy theories laced with antisemitic tropes, including the continued use of “globalist parasites” and claiming climate change was driven by policies “cabal” of “the major banking families in the world”.

This masthead also reported this week he had praised notorious US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who infamously claimed the Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax, and praised Russia’s Vladimir Putin for fighting “globalists” in Ukraine. Globalists is a term commonly used as a pejorative in far-right politics and in various conspiracy theories, often with antisemitic tropes.

The Australian reported on Wednesday that Roberts had also promoted the work of Holocaust denier Eustace Mullins in a 2013 essay attacking international bankers and recommending The Secrets of the Federal Reserve as “a reasonable introduction”. Roberts has previously said he did not know Mullins was an antisemite.

Peak body of the Australian Jewish community, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, did not want to offer comment about Roberts’ post, but co-chief executive Peter Wertheim has previously said of him “no politician in Australia could be taken seriously if they subscribe to conspiracy theories”.

“It doesn’t matter how long ago these sorts of comments were made, they have never been repudiated and they need to be,” he said.

The council included Roberts’ post in their report on antisemitism released later in 2024.

“Roberts added his own globalist conspiracist words to the post,” the report said. “He did not refer expressly to Jews, but the mural has a notorious antisemitic history.”

Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said Roberts’ post had shared “one of the most notorious antisemitic murals of our time”.

“I do not know what is in Senator Roberts’ heart. I can only judge what he placed before the Australian public, which is one of the most notorious antisemitic murals of our time, posted beneath the words ‘the most powerful pic I’ve ever seen’,” he said.

Abramovich said elected representatives carried a heightened responsibility because their statements conferred legitimacy on material they promoted.

“A man who circulates a painting of Jewish financiers gaming the world on the backs of the poor, and recommends literature about hidden families running the planet, is not asking questions. He is fanning the flames of the oldest hatred at the very moment this country is burning with it.”

He called on Roberts to delete the posts, repudiate the mural and tell his followers “that the fantasy of hidden Jewish puppet-masters and shadowy cabals is a slur with a body count”.

“Most of what Malcolm Roberts says is a load of rubbish,” Labor MP Dr Mike Freelander, said. “It is anti-science, and his conspiracy theories about bankers and global politics are often antisemitic. Most people choose to ignore him as part on the ongoing One Nation circus.”

Sources told this masthead Roberts’ office had received multiple complaints about the post at the time, pointing out it was widely regarded as antisemitic.

Roberts, who is on leave in Europe, was contacted for comment. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson was also approached for comment. She has not yet responded to questions about Roberts, her longest-serving colleague who was elected alongside her in 2016.

She is currently in England and will speak at the conservatives conference CPAC Great Britain later this week, alongside Coalition senators Sarah Henderson and Bridget Mckenzie.

Colleague Barnaby Joyce on Tuesday distanced himself from Roberts’ praise of controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, saying he did not reflect the party’s views.

Roberts has previously denied being antisemitic. When asked by this masthead last month to comment on his claim that “globalist parasites” had hijacked the United States government, a spokesman declined to comment but said the senator would be happy to speak to concerned Jewish groups.

When questioned in 2017 about appearing on an antisemitic website, “Jew World Order”, he said: “I respect and admire the Jews,” adding that two of the founders of his Galileo Movement climate sceptic network were Jewish.

“There is no one religion involved. I have nothing against any particular religion,” he told reporters.

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