Antoinette Lattouf was axed by the ABC following a co-ordinated campaign from Jewish lawyers that included messages being sent to chairperson Ita Buttrose.
Lattouf was sacked on December 20 after just three days as a week-long fill-in host on Radio Sydney’s morning show over her comments on the war in Gaza.
It followed an Instagram post she made which linked to a human rights report accusing the Israelis of ‘using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza’.
In earlier social media posts she had alleged Israeli soldiers were raping Palestinians and challenged claims pro-Palestine protestors in Sydney chanted: ‘Gas the Jews’.
Now secret WhatsApp messages from an n group called Lawyers for Israel have revealed how her ABC Radio gig outraged its 156 influential members.
Messages posted in the group show its high-powered lawyer members were encouraged to threaten the ABC with legal action unless they dismissed Lattouf.
Lattouf was dumped by the ABC within minutes of her Wednesday show ending, just hours after one member of the group called for a day of action against her.
Broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf (pictured) was axed by the ABC after a behind-the-scenes email campaign by Jewish lawyers to get her sacked which targeted chairman Ita Buttrose
Messages posted in the group show its high-powered lawyer members were encouraged to threaten ABC chair Ita Buttrose (pictured) with legal action unless they dismissed Lattouf.
Secret WhatsApp messages from an n group called Lawyers for Israel have revealed how her ABC Radio gig outraged its 156 influential members
Lattouf is now suing the corporation for illegally sacking her over her political opinions and also in part because of her race and Middle East ‘cultural background’.
Messages obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald reveal Sydney property lawyer Nicky Stein listing the ‘action of the day’ at 6.53am with a series of ABC chiefs and politicians to email on the day Lattouf was axed.
‘Michelle Rowland is the federal minister for communication. Please use this link to ask how Antoinette Lattouf is hosting the morning ABC Sydney show,’ she posted.
‘Clause 4 of the ABC code of practice is to be impartial and employing Antoinette is in breach of this clause.
‘Please send a copy to 1. ABC Ombudsman 2. David Anderson, Managing Director of the ABC 3. ABC Board.
‘Needs to be done again today…It is important ABC hears not just from individuals in the community but specifically lawyers so they feel there is an actual legal threat.’
She added: ‘I have basically written to them and told them I expect a proper response by COB today or I would look to engage a senior counsel.
‘I know there is probably no actionable offence against ABC but I didn’t say I would be taking one – just investigating one.
‘I have said that they should be terminating her employment immediately.’
By mid-morning, another group member said ABC chairman Ita Buttrose had replied to seven emails and encouraged others to keep writing to her and others.
‘It’s not going un-noticed,’ she added.
Barrister Robert Goot, deputy president of the Executive Council of n Jewry, revealed he had been told Lattouf would be ‘gone from morning radio from Friday’ because of her stance on Israel.
After Ms Stein said three days away was ‘too long’, Mr Goot told members to ‘keep writing’.
The leaked WhatsApp message reveal how the group had campaigned for the ABC to sack Lattouf from the ABC Sydney morning show over her comments on Israel and Palestine
By mid-morning, Ms Stein she had just got a response from Buttrose to her email which had threatened the corporation with legal action.
‘Dear Ms Stein,’ she said it read. ‘ Thank you for your email. The contents have been noted.
‘I have forwarded your email on to Chris Oliver-Taylor, the ABC’s Chief Content Officer, who is dealing with this matter.’
Lattouf was fired less than three hours after the update was posted on the WhatsApp group.
An unnamed lawyer had earlier posted on the message group: ‘It’s obviously the Israeli/Jewish lobby at work again!!!’
Victorian family law mediator Deborah Weiner added: ‘We are obviously terrible at it given the amount of lousy press we get [smiley face]’.
After it was revealed Lattouf was suing the ABC, Ms Weiner ridiculed the radio host’s Jewish legal representative, Josh Bornstein, of Maurice Blackburn lawyers.
‘Bornstein?’ she posted on January 11. ‘Traiter! (sic)’
Another asked: ‘Seems like an expensive enterprise to engage in. What could she get in damages? She lost two days of work due to being fired?
‘She was contracted until the end of that week.’
Another unnamed lawyer replied: ‘She’ll probably say damage to reputation, can never get another job, mental anguish blah blah blah. Pay me $10 million dollars.’
It is not suggested the WhatsApp message group was set up by the Executive Council of n Jewry or any other recognised n Jewish community.
Antoinette Lattouf (pictured) is now suing the corporation for illegally sacking her over her political opinions and also in part because of her race and Middle East ‘cultural background’
The council distanced itself from the messages and the campaign to have Lattouf dismissed by the ABC, although they said they approved of her axing.
‘The ECAJ did not contact the ABC about Lattouf, nor did we call for her sacking,’ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin told Daily Mail .
‘This was a grassroots initiative of individuals exercising their right to make their objections known, and the ABC deciding to act to protect its integrity and standards.
‘In light of her conduct we feel they absolutely did the right thing.’
The ABC said the source of the complaints was irrelevant to its procedures.
‘The ABC has a transparent complaints process and responds accordingly, regardless of the source of the complaint,’ said a spokesman.
Lattouf’s law firm Maurice Blackburn denied being the source of the WhatsApp messages and declined to comment further.
Daily Mail has also contacted Ms Stein and Ms Weiner for comment.