AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon.Credit: AFL Photos
This masthead has confirmed the AFL and Swans both oversaw the script for the ceremony, before Pavlich led the tribute in front of families of victims and survivors and first responders. Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed and Rabbi Mendy Litzman from Hatzolah, a Jewish community emergency medical response group, were at the SCG for the ceremony.
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In a series of radio interviews on Saturday, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said he did not know what had happened to the March 5 transcript, which prompted Paterson to respond that โexcuses and deflections are not good enoughโ.
Later that day, Swans chairman Andrew Pridham and Pavlich apologised and took full responsibility for their clubโs tribute to the victims of the Bondi terror attack.
The AFL was contacted for comment on Monday.
Litzman told this masthead the Swans had made the Jewish community emergency medical response group feel welcome.
โI want to thank the Swans for welcoming us in and making us feel really welcome and special. We had survivors there as well [at the game] and we had those children there as well that were affected by it and some children that no longer have parents,โ he said.
โThey [the Swans] were extremely welcoming and so very, very nice to us, and we thank them from the bottom of our heart, and it meant a lot to us and to everybody … they treated us like VIPs, and it was very nice to welcome us into the locker room after the game as well.
โWe only had praise for the Swans, so what they did was definitely above and beyond what we expected. They provided kosher food, and they literally went above and beyond.โ
He deflected any questions about the specific wording of the script.
โI donโt really have anything [to say] to be honest. We only have praise for the Swans, Iโm not getting involved in what was said and what wasnโt said,โ he said.
โWe didnโt feel any of that on the day. We felt very loved and welcomed and grateful that they honoured the victims and the survivors and they honoured the first responders.โ
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Speaking at a pre-match function ahead of the Swansโ win over the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night, Pridham said three-time Swans best and fairest and a former Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy had alerted him to the omission of the Jewish community.
โThis was not intentional, we apologise for this omission. It was a Sydney Swans initiative, and a Swans-led event, and we take full responsibility,โ Pridham said.
โThe tribute was a genuine attempt to show compassion to everyone impacted by the terrible events on 14 December โ and most of all the Jewish community.โ
Pridham and the Swans were contacted for comment on Monday.
Paterson said the facts about the tribute had to be established.
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โCounsel assisting must have the opportunity to review the documents and cross-examine any potential witnesses to establish the facts in relation to this serious incident,โ he said.
โWhile the Sydney Swans chairman has apologised to the Jewish community, the reported involvement of AFL staff in this incident should be closely examined as part of the commissionโs inquiries into the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.โ
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