Grace Tame claims ‘smear campaign’ cost her speaking engagements this year
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has lost all speaking engagements for the remainder of the year, saying a “smear campaign” was launched against her after a controversial slogan she uttered at a protest.
At the No Violence national conference in Hobart on Thursday, Ms Tame announced she would not be speaking at any other events this year.
“This is my last presentation of the year and it’s only March,” Ms Tame told the audience, adding that she felt she was “up against a well-oiled political machine”.
His comments came amid controversy over his attendance at a protest in Sydney against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog; here he chanted the slogan “globalize the intifada”, which some activists used to call for international support for Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation.
At the conference, the child safety advocate stressed that he does not support violence or hatred in any form, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.
His attendance at the rally was the target of criticism from some Jewish groups.
Last month, the Australian Jewish Association called for her attendance at an International Women’s Day event in Bendigo to be cancelled.
Organizer Be. Bendigo rejected the request, stating that it was committed to “hosting respectful, constructive conversations”.
On Thursday, Ms. Tame shared on Instagram that both “intifadas” began as peaceful protests, boycotts and workers’ strikes in response to Israel’s “ongoing violent repression.”
In a post last week, he said he had lost three speeches on child safety due to an “ongoing media smear campaign.”
The issue also entered into political debate. The NSW Government is considering banning this expression under proposed hate speech laws; whereas its use to threaten or offend is currently banned in Queensland.
Despite the controversy, Ms Tame’s Hobart presentation focused mainly on the dangers posed by artificial intelligence in the creation of child abuse material.
He warned that the rapid increase in AI-generated child abuse content amounted to a “global public health emergency” and spoke of the lasting harm suffered by victims who survive abuse.
