Testimony as a Target: Online Abuse Against Royal Commission Witnesses
Witnesses giving evidence to Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion are facing a coordinated wave of online harassment, according to new analysis by Josh Roose, Associate Professor at Deakin University's Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation.
The Royal Commission was established following the December 14, 2025 terror attack at Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people and came amid what researchers describe as the deadliest year for antisemitic attacks outside Israel in three decades. Earlier incidents, including arson attacks on Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue and a Sydney kosher restaurant, have been linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Roose's research documents more than 1,300 verified antisemitic posts from 1,137 distinct accounts, targeting witnesses and, in some cases, their children, within hours of their testimony. Five video clips from a single media page attracted over 4,000 comments, while one prominent witness received more than 2,200 comments containing violent language. The content ranged from neo-Nazi imagery and Holocaust denial to conspiracy theories accusing witnesses of being "paid Mossad operatives," alongside calls for execution and digitally manipulated images depicting witnesses in gas chambers.
The article highlights a significant accountability gap: of 150 posts reported to social media platforms after one hearing, only five were initially removed, and one message reading "JEW KISS ASS KILL ALL JEWS" was twice assessed as compliant with community standards. Of more than 1,100 posts referred to the Australian Federal Police, little action has followed.
Roose concludes that while no witness has yet withdrawn from the Commission, the abuse constitutes a direct attack on democratic and legal processes. He points to gaps in existing protections, including Section 6M of the Royal Commissions Act, and warns that the true deterrent effect on potential witnesses may be impossible to measure.
Source: Josh Roose, "Testimony as a target," Open Forum, 17 August 2026.
About the author: Josh Roose serves as Director of Research & Policy at The Dor Foundation, where he leads the research agenda that underpins the Foundation's work. Josh is also an Associate Professor at Deakin University's Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation and is one of Australia's foremost experts in extremism, democratic resilience and social cohesion.