A Jewish university student in Australia falsely identified on social media as the perpetrator of a mass stabbing attack at a mall in Sydney is now hitting back.
Australian Jewish Association President David Adler quoted the student, Benjamin Cohen, as saying “I have heard you are coming onto Sky News and I’d “love for you to bring up this false accusation … How it is used to propel antisemitism and destroy my name in the process.”
APPEARED ON SKY NEWS OUTSIDERS:
Discussing Bondi Junction mass stabbing attack and the false claim it was done by a Jewish man named Benjamin Cohen.
Commentary on the Iranian attack on Israel pic.twitter.com/PD9155WdAV
— Dr David Adler (@DrDavidAdler1) April 14, 2024
According to Canary Mission, which fights antisemitism, “Influencer Maram Susli @Partisangirl (Syrian Girl) just libeled a Jewish man in Australia, saying he was responsible for the Bondi stabbings. She got caught, and now she’s panicking about the legal consequences,” the group said in a post on the X social media platform.
Influencer Maram Susli @Partisangirl (Syrian Girl) just libeled a Jewish man in Australia, saying he was responsible for the Bondi stabbings. She got caught, and now she's panicking about the legal consequences. https://t.co/KJpoxTrdL6 pic.twitter.com/K3tLn80QFB
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) April 15, 2024
In response to her post, thousands on social media claimed Cohen was the man who murdered six people at Bondi Junction this past weekend.
Soon after, however, Sydney Police identified 40-year-old Joel Cauchi as the suspect. Cauchi was shot and killed by a female officer, Sky News reported.
Police said they did not know Cauchi’s motive for the attack, but added they believed there was no ideological or religious motive.
Maram Susli identifies herself on X as a “Journalist” and a “Scientist” and openly solicits funding on her profile to “Support my lawsuit against the zionist lobby.”
In a separate post, Susli says she is “a member of the Syrian Aramean muslim Australian community.”
Further on, Susli posted a lengthy statement promising Adler will be hearing from her lawyers and claiming she was defamed.
“TODAY I was DEFAMED on @SkyNewsAust by @DrDavidAdler1 who accused me of tricking @7NewsAustralia into claiming #BenjaminCohen was the #bondiattack stabber,” she wrote.
The post has since been deleted, apparently.
“FACT IS: It was only AFTER Channel 7 News named Benjamin Cohen as the attacker at 6:15 am that I publish his name at 8:16 am, 2 hours later. It was channel 7 which tricked me, and not vice versa.
“Channel 7 later corrected themselves by naming Joel Cacuhi as the attacker (without issuing a retraction). So allow me to now correct myself.
“The truth is I made the mistake of trusting the mainstream media, something that I don’t do often, she whined in her zeal to avoid a lawsuit from Cohen’s attorneys.
“I am truly sorry for this error and any hurt it may have caused. I didn’t mean to spread incorrect information, but I was deceived like thousands of Australians by channel 7 news who owe Benjamin Cohen an apology.
“As a voice for the Palestinian resistance, I understand the importance of credibility and accuracy in our fight for justice. It is for this reason, and this reason alone, that I feel compelled to address and correct my error. Unlike every lie that has come out of the Israeli propaganda machine which never apologises. But that does not mean I will accept blame for Channel 7’s mistake, an accusation which David Adler tried to level against me,” she continued.
“Whilst I received information that a man called Benjamin Cohen was responsible for the tragic attack, unlike channel 7 I chose not to share unconfirmed information. I did however hint at what I had been told via twitter posts that foreshadowed the revelation that I expected NSW Police and mainstream media to make public imminently.
“I acknowledge the timing of this was distasteful when the tragedy was still unfolding, but unfortunately, since the overwhelming commentary was that the attacker was a Muslim or “Hamas”, and I had a duty to challenge this, especially when I had information to the contrary.
“Still I did not claim to confirm or state the identity of the attacker at any point, until channel 7 had already done so,” she claimed.
“For the reasons stated above, @DrDavidAdler1 will be hearing from my lawyers. He throws around accusations as badly as channel 7 does.”
