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A deputy mayor representing a Sydney council that is home to one of Australia’s largest Jewish populations has been sacked after backing a move to condemn Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
Waverley Council’s Ludovico Fabiano attempted to amend a motion about the Israel-Hamas conflict to call out “war crimes” by Israel, but he was voted out of his position during a public meeting on Thursday evening.
Ludovico Fabiano was sacked from his position as deputy mayor.Credit: Waverley Council
The council voted on a motion last week to condemn the attack on Israeli civilians by Hamas.
Fabiano attempted to amend the motion to condemn both “war crimes perpetrated by Hamas, including the premeditated targeting of Israeli civilians”, as well as to condemn “war crimes perpetrated by a right-wing Israeli government, including the bombing of Palestinian civilians”.
But the amendments were voted against by all other council members, and he was voted out of his position during the extraordinary meeting.
The former deputy mayor said he was surprised and “deeply disappointed”.
“My crime? Wanting to include in our amendments to the Israel/Gaza motion a recognition of the trauma caused to the civilians of Gaza at the hands of the Israeli military,” he said.
Waverley Council Mayor Paula Masselos said Fabiano wasn’t removed over the amendment, but because he had lost the confidence of the community.
“At the end of the day, we are there as representatives of our local community,” she told ABC Radio on Friday.
“As leaders, we’re meant to be working for our community and looking for unity and resilience and not being provocative.”
AAP
