--- title: "NSW judge rejects supervision order, calls antisemitism definition 'verbose'" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/nsw-judge-rejects-supervision-order-calls-antisemitism-definition-verbose" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/nsw-judge-rejects-supervision-order-calls-antisemitism-definition-verbose" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/nsw-judge-rejects-supervision-order-calls-antisemitism-definition-verbose.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/nsw-judge-rejects-supervision-order-calls-antisemitism-definition-verbose" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Israel" published: "2026-08-18T12:47:18.363Z" source_reported: "2026-08-18T10:03:33.099Z" updated: "2026-08-18T12:47:18.363Z" trust_score: 55 critic_score: 55 hype_score: 35 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-18T14:45:17.719473+00:00" --- # NSW judge rejects supervision order, calls antisemitism definition 'verbose' *Justice Desmond Fagan ruled political slogans against Israel were not evidence of religious hatred or terror risk.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 55 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports, one with named sources and documents; digests corroborate facts. - Craft 55 of 100, higher is better. Quotes and figures present; some separation of fact and comment. - Hype 35 of 100, lower is better. Headlines overstate implications; body tempers language. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - NSW Supreme Court Justice Desmond Fagan rejected an extended supervision order for Mohommed Farhat, who served prison time for anti-Israel graffiti and arson in Sydney. - The judge ruled the slogans were political critique, not religious hatred, and criticised the IHRA antisemitism definition as 'verbose' and 'detached from reality'. - A June poll showing 79% of Australians view Israel unfavourably for its Gaza conduct was cited in the ruling as evidence against conflating anti-Israel sentiment with antisemitism. - Separately, a US federal judge, Richard Gaylore Stearns, dismissed antisemitism cases against Harvard and MIT, drawing scrutiny over his past anti-Israel activism. NSW Supreme Court Justice Desmond Fagan ruled that a graffiti and arson spree targeting Israel in Sydney’s east did not indicate an ongoing terror threat. The defendant, Mohommed Farhat, was convicted in November 2024 for causing over $100,000 in property damage during a 41-minute spree, including slogans such as "F*** Israel" and "PKK coming". He is set to be released in October after serving his prison sentence. Prosecutors sought an extended supervision order, arguing the slogans demonstrated an antisemitic intent and a risk of future terrorism. Justice Fagan rejected the application, finding the slogans were political expressions rather than religious hatred. He criticised the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, has relied on. The judge called the definition "verbose" and "detached from the reality" of antisemitism in Australia. Justice Fagan cited a June 2026 poll showing 79% of Australians view Israel unfavourably for its conduct in Gaza. He argued it would be "preposterous" to label that proportion of the population as antisemitic. The judge also accepted the defence’s argument that Farhat, who has low intellectual functioning, was recruited to paint the slogans and did not act out of personal animus. ## Disagreement over the US judge’s rulings Reports diverge on the significance of US federal judge Richard Gaylore Stearns’s past activism. The Washington Free Beacon reported that Stearns, who dismissed antisemitism cases against Harvard and MIT, signed a 1967 newspaper ad demanding Israel’s "total military withdrawal" from territories won in the Six Day War. The ad framed the demand as being in Israel’s interests while accusing pro-Israel groups of harming US interests. The outlet also noted Stearns was a campaign aide to Senator George McGovern in 1972, a role that became controversial due to his anti-Israel activism. The Washington Free Beacon quoted a 1972 interview in which Stearns told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency he did not regret signing the ad, though he acknowledged it was "embarrassing" to McGovern’s campaign. The outlet described the ad as "pro-Arab" and "viciously anti-Israel", citing contemporary news coverage that framed it as a liability for McGovern among Jewish voters. No other outlet in the material provided addressed Stearns’s past or its relevance to his rulings. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mentioned the June poll showing 79% of Australians view Israel unfavourably for its conduct in Gaza, which Justice Fagan cited in his ruling. The Canberra Times digest, rated left, also omitted the poll figure. The Washington Free Beacon’s report on Judge Stearns did not address the NSW case or Justice Fagan’s ruling. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (1) - Centre: 16% (1) - Right: 67% (4) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-18T14:45:17.719473+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-18T15:15:52.370Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The Canberra Times digest led on the judge’s criticism of the IHRA definition, describing it as "not fit for purpose". The digest noted the judge’s suggestion that the definition could implicate 79% of Australians, but did not include the poll figure or the judge’s phrasing that the definition was "detached from reality". It did not mention the defendant’s intellectual functioning or the recruitment argument. ### Centre - PerthNow’s full report led with Justice Fagan’s rebuke of the IHRA definition, quoting his description of it as "verbose and imprecise". The report included the judge’s argument that conflating political critique of Israel with antisemitism was a "parasitic rejection of protest". It carried the 79% poll figure and the judge’s statement that it would be "preposterous" to label that proportion of Australians as antisemitic. The report also included the defence’s argument that Farhat was recruited and has low intellectual functioning. ### Right - The Washington Free Beacon’s full report focused on US federal judge Richard Gaylore Stearns, leading with his past anti-Israel activism and his role as a campaign aide to George McGovern. The report quoted a 1967 newspaper ad Stearns signed demanding Israel’s withdrawal from territories won in the Six Day War, and a 1972 interview in which he said he did not regret signing it. The outlet framed the ad as "pro-Arab" and cited contemporary news coverage that described it as a liability for McGovern among Jewish voters. - The digests from ussanews.com, The West Australian, and the Australian Financial Review all led on the NSW judge’s criticism of the IHRA definition. The West Australian and Canberra Times digests described the definition as "not fit for purpose", while the Australian Financial Review quoted the judge’s phrase "detached from reality". None of the right-rated digests mentioned the 79% poll figure, the defendant’s intellectual functioning, or the recruitment argument. The ussanews.com digest repeated the Washington Free Beacon’s framing of Stearns’s past activism. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 1 - high: 3 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/18/judge-in-harvard-antisemitism-case-was-anti-israel-anti-war-activist-mcgovern-campaign-aide) — Judge in Harvard Antisemitism Case Was Anti-Israel, Anti-War Activist, McGovern Campaign Aide - [The Washington Free Beacon](https://freebeacon.com/campus/judge-in-harvard-antisemitism-case-was-anti-israel-anti-war-activist-mcgovern-campaign-aide) — Judge in Harvard Antisemitism Case Was Anti-Israel, Anti-War Activist, McGovern Campaign Aide - [PerthNow](https://perthnow.com.au/news/crime/judge-slams-imprecise-anti-semitism-definition-c-22742427) — Judge slams 'imprecise' anti-Semitism definition - [The West Australian](https://thewest.com.au/news/crime/judge-slams-imprecise-anti-semitism-definition-c-22742424) — Judge slams 'imprecise' anti-Semitism definition - [The Canberra Times](https://canberratimes.com.au/story/9332940/judge-slams-imprecise-anti-semitism-definition) — Judge slams 'imprecise' anti-Semitism definition - [Australian Financial Review](https://afr.com/politics/detached-from-reality-judge-slams-segal-s-test-for-antisemitism-20260818-p60pg2) — ‘Detached from reality’: Judge slams Segal’s test for antisemitism ## Questions **What did the NSW judge rule about the graffiti and arson spree?** Justice Desmond Fagan rejected an extended supervision order for Mohommed Farhat, ruling the anti-Israel slogans were political critique, not religious hatred. He criticised the IHRA antisemitism definition as 'verbose' and 'detached from reality', citing a poll showing 79% of Australians disapprove of Israel's conduct in Gaza. **Why did the judge criticise the IHRA definition of antisemitism?** Justice Fagan called the definition 'verbose and imprecise', arguing it could wrongly label political protest against Israel as antisemitic. He cited a June poll showing 79% of Australians view Israel unfavourably, saying it would be 'preposterous' to call them antisemitic. **What was the US judge’s past activism?** Richard Gaylore Stearns, who dismissed antisemitism cases against Harvard and MIT, signed a 1967 ad demanding Israel’s withdrawal from territories won in the Six Day War. The Washington Free Beacon reported he was a campaign aide to George McGovern in 1972, a role that became controversial due to his anti-Israel activism. **Which outlets reported the 79% poll figure?** PerthNow, rated centre, included the poll figure in its full report. The Canberra Times and all right-rated digests omitted it. The poll was cited by Justice Fagan in his ruling as evidence against conflating anti-Israel sentiment with antisemitism. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/nsw-judge-rejects-supervision-order-calls-antisemitism-definition-verbose. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "NSW judge rejects supervision order, calls antisemitism definition 'verbose'", https://mediabias.news/conflict/nsw-judge-rejects-supervision-order-calls-antisemitism-definition-verbose