Bangkok (EFE).- An Australian court on Wednesday ordered public broadcaster ABC to pay a fine of AU$150,000 (about $100,000) to journalist Antoinette Lattouf, who was unlawfully fired in 2023 after sharing a post critical of Israel on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dismissal occurred three days into a five-day casual radio stint after Lattouf shared a Human Rights Watch report on social media that claimed Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the journalist’s lawyers had sought more than double the amount set by the court, the fine is a new victory for the journalist, who in June won her lawsuit against the public broadcaster, which was at that time ordered to pay her an initial AU$70,000 in damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever the penalty, for me this was never about money \u2013 it\u2019s always been about accountability and the integrity of the information our public broadcaster gives us,\u201d Lattouf said in a statement ahead of the ruling on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Australian Federal Court in June ruled that ABC violated the Fair Work Act by dismissing Lattouf “for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The journalist had argued she had been unfairly dismissed due to her political opinions and her race, and pressure from pro-Israel groups exerted on the public broadcaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt became clear that the complaints were an orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air,\u201d Justice Darryl Rangiah said in the June ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Rangiah rejected Lattouf\u2019s allegations that the reasons for her termination included her race or national extraction being Lebanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ABC, which according to Lattouf and 9News has spent AU$2 million in taxpayer funds on its defense of the case, sought a fine of about a third of what the court stipulated on Wednesday, and now has 28 days to pay the compensation. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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