Thousands of Aussies have signed a petition for 2021 Australian of the Year winner Grace Tame to be stripped of the honour after she chanted ‘globalise the intifada’.

Tame used the controversial phrase ‘intifada’ and anti-Israel rhetoric during a speech at a rally in Sydney on Monday, protesting a visit from Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

The 31-year-old was faced heavy criticism after the rally erupted into clashes between protesters and police.

The comments sparked outrage, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dodging a question in Parliament on Tuesday about whether he will publicly condemn Tame.

A petition launched by Rebel News has garnered more than 25,000 signatures calling for her to be stripped of her Australian of the Year honour.

The petition is also calling for authorities to charge Tame with ‘[alleged] criminal incitement to violence under existing Australian law’. 

‘We do not need new “hate speech” laws, if the threshold for incitement has been crossed, current laws are sufficient,’ the petition states.

‘In 2021, Grace Tame was named Australian of the Year, an honour reserved for individuals who reflect the values, unity and integrity of our nation. 

Australian of the Year winner Grace Tame chanted ‘globalise the intifada’ at a Sydney rally on Monday

‘That title carries moral weight. It is not just recognition for past advocacy, it represents an ongoing association with Australian ideals.’

The petition took umbrage at Tame leading the rally by chanting ‘from Gadigal Aboriginal name for Sydney to Gaza, globalise the intifada’.

‘The term intifada is historically associated with violent uprisings and armed conflict,’ the petition states. 

‘Its use in Australia, particularly when amplified by a former national honouree, has caused profound distress within the Jewish community and concern across the broader public.

‘This occurred in a climate already charged with fear and trauma, including in the wake of the horrific Bondi Beach terror attack.’

The petition stated it was ‘about responsibility’ and ‘not silencing debate’.

‘Australians have the right to protest. Australians have the right to criticise foreign governments. Australians have the right to speak freely,’ it stated.

‘But no one, regardless of status, has the right to incite violence.

Tame spoke at a protest against a visit to Australia from Israeli president Isaac Herzog

Thousands attended the Sydney protest on Monday

‘When a nationally recognised figure calls to “globalise the intifada” it is not unreasonable for Australians to question whether that crosses the line from political expression into incitement. 

‘If ordinary citizens made comparable remarks encouraging globalised uprising, authorities would act. Public prominence should not provide immunity.’

The petition also proclaimed Tame’s ‘honour must be revoked’ because the award is ‘meant to unite, not divide’.

‘It symbolises, respect for community harmony, leadership that uplifts rather than inflames and values that Australians across backgrounds can stand behind,’ it read. 

‘When a former recipient engages in rhetoric that many Australians interpret as legitimising violent struggle, it undermines public trust in the integrity of that honour.

‘Removing or reviewing an award in light of serious misconduct is not unprecedented. National honours are privileges, not entitlements.

‘If you believe national honours should reflect values that unite Australians, and that incitement to violence must be taken seriously, add your name today.’

Tens of thousands of Aussies backed the petition, with many taking to social media to vent their frustrations.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dodged a question in Parliament on Tuesday about whether he would publicly condemn Tame

‘I’d like an official investigation as to why she has not been charged under our hate speech laws?’ one wrote.

Another wrote they will sign the petition because Tame ‘disgraced the position’ while another said: ‘Maybe change her title to “Anti-Australian of the decade”’.

Newly elected federal opposition leader Angus Taylor told Sky News that Albanese should ‘condemn’ Tame’s language. 

‘I condemn a Prime Minister who cannot call out people who are calling for violence,’ hesaid.

‘“Globalise the intifada” is a call for violence, and this Prime Minister could not condemn it. That is true.’

Taylor stopped short of calling Albanese to strip Tame of her Australian of the Year honour.

‘Well, I think what should happen is that this Prime Minister should start by condemning that language,’ he said.

‘It is unacceptable, the way we deal with people making calls that are not consistent with our way of life is that we start by condemning them.

Newly elected Opposition Leader Angus Taylor MP said Tame’s public rally chant is a ‘call for violence’

‘And if the Prime Minister can’t even do that, it shows that he has not got the leadership capacity. He doesn’t have the moral clarity. He doesn’t have an understanding of right and wrong, which I think is important in a leader of this nation.’

Taylor praised police at Monday’s rally for doing a ‘tough job in these circumstances’ after video emerged of NSW police allegedly moving on Muslims while they prayed.

‘These were protests where we heard people calling for violence. “Globalise the intifada” is a call for violence. Let’s be clear about that,’ Taylor told Sky News.

‘The police needed to be able to do their jobs. They do a tough job in these circumstances, and I think we should respect the work they do. 

‘They have to make difficult calls, and they have been making those difficult calls. I have great respect for the police who do that hard work.’

Tame shared her response to the criticism in a video on Wednesday afternoon after previously releasing a written statement about coverage of the rally on Tuesday.

‘This is not the first time I’ve been made a villain for speaking out,’ she wrote alongside Wednesday’s video.

‘It is, however, the first time I’ve been cast in a worse light than a criminal state.

‘In the pursuit of justice, proportion, fairness, and truth, I refuse to be silent.’

In her video she directed her critics to watch an investigation by Al Jazeera – a Qatari state-funded international news network – about the ongoing Israeli operations in Gaza, which allegedly deployed US-made bombs.

‘Our political and media classes are trying to distract the masses by focusing on words that I said at a peaceful protest on Monday night in Sydney,’ she said.

‘Disingenuously distorting definitions has been a cornerstone of Israel’s propaganda strategy for decades.

‘Choosing to put a negative spin on the word intifada, which literally means shaking off, is just another example of that.’