A pro-Palestinian activist in Australia has been charged with the kidnapping and beating of a man, allegedly because the victim worked for a Jewish employer.

Laura Allam – a 28-year-old mother who claims to do humanitarian work and has tens of thousands of followers on social media – has been charged with kidnapping, armed robbery, false imprisonment, unlawful assault and assault by kicking...

The alleged attack on the 31-year-old man occurred in a residential area in St Albans on Friday, February 16...

Sources said the man needed extensive treatment in hospital for injuries sustained in the “horrific kidnapping and torture”.

They added that Ms Allam, who lives in Fraser Rise in Melbourne’s northwest, had orchestrated the vicious assault.

I don't think I've heard of Allam before but she's apparently better known in Australia and also online where she has tens of thousands of followers. She celebrated the massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 8.

Allam is a prominent member of Australia’s large Lebanese community and the CEO of the Al Jannah Foundation, which bills itself as an Islamic humanitarian organization...

In the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in southern Israel, Allam dedicated most of her time to attacking Israel on social media as well as spreading false information on her TikTok account, which had 20,000 followers before being closed down, as well as X/Twitter and Instagram. One post on Feb. 5 promoted the fabricated claim that a British Royal Navy warship dispatched to the Gulf to combat attacks on shipping by Houthi terrorists in Yemen had “broken down off the coasts of England.”

Her barbs against Israel on social media included a post that declared “good riddance” over an image of four Israeli soldiers killed while serving in Gaza. On Oct. 8 — the day after the Hamas pogrom which resulted in the murder of more than 1,200 people and the kidnapping of over 200 amid atrocities that included mass rape and bodily mutilation — Allam told her followers that she had “woken up to some great news from our beloved Palestine.” Other posts spoke of “a jihad of martyrdom or victory” and lauded attempts to “avenge the martyrs in Jenin and Gaza.”

After her arrest, Allum posted a long statement on Instagram blaming members of the community who have failed to support her. She praises her own "selflessness" for remaining quiet about what happened so as not to bring shame upon the community. The post has since been removed but here's a bit of it.

I cannot help but address the blatant disregard and lack of care by so-called 'community leaders' and more so prominent "public figures" of the community that I have been shoulder to shoulder with for months straight, and some even years. What am I referring to? I am referring to the idea of these so-called "leaders" and those holding professional titles nearby their names, that already KNEW about the issue I am referring to, and better yet grew to learn about the newer incident that occurred with me, yet chose to remain silent on the issue. Not a single message was received and we are now on the fifth day.. No, and not just that, to turn around and say such abhorrent words like "this is not our fight" while a woman in your community has now endured a lifetime of pain, suffering and trauma.

And the world questions why women suffer for years without speaking up about particular topics? And you wonder why suicide rates among women are at an all-time high? This is why. Because they are in communities who don't protect their women. Because they are in communities who fail them. Because they are amongst so-called men who aren't actually men. That is why.

But, amidst all of the pain and suffering I struggle with right now, I pride myself in my selflessness and the idea of remaining quiet— for now. Why? Well I'd like to hop that you so called "selfless individuals" realize that if I decide to speak up on what has occurred, it will have the most detrimental effect on our community, and every single effort we have put into our 'movement'. I should say no more and you should know what I am referring to. Not to mention that our amazing Aussie mainstream media will have an absolute FIELD DAY with this sort of news. Might even make worldwide news. too. So how is this "not your fight" again? Please do tell as I'd love to know.

I'm honestly not sure what she's saying here. She's angry that prominent members of her community seem to be washing their hands of her. That much is clear. But she keeps threatening to talk which would do more damage. Did she think the story of her arrest wouldn't come out by itself? How will speaking up about this news make it worse? Or is she threatening to talk about something else?

Finally, the court has put in place a gag order which prevents the media from using Allam's photo or talking about other aspects of the case. This Australian article doesn't even mention her name:

The woman, who is active in Middle East affairs, is known to politicians and close to arts ­industry figure Clementine Ford, but her identity and cultural affiliations have been suppressed in a highly unusual move by Victorian magistrate Carolyn Howe...

The magistrate has issued two suppression orders, the second much wider than the first, in ­secret court hearings. The second suppression order bans: publication of the accused’s photo; anything that might point to where the activist lives; her name being published; and anything being published about a ­specific part of her community, or the ­religion of any party to the ­proceedings.

This strikes me as ridiculous. If the woman is charged with serious crimes, her name and photo should be public. That's especially true since she was already a public figure. In any case, Allam's arrest doesn't look good for her and the community she supported.

It’s almost as though anti-Israel fanatics who spend their days inciting against the Jewish community are actually just psychotic antisemites. Who could have thought? pic.twitter.com/iCvwY63Fjp

— Alex Ryvchin (@AlexRyvchin) February 27, 2024