Ex-Australian of the Year Grace Tame Clarifies October 7 Rape Remarks
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame released a video clarifying remarks where she called October 7 sexual assault reports propaganda, apologizing for the harm caused while stating she believes survivors.
Grace Tame, a prominent Australian sexual assault survivor and former Australian of the Year, has published a clarification video following intense backlash over her previous remarks regarding allegations of sexual violence committed against Israeli women on October 7, which she had labeled as propaganda. Tame claimed her words were "misrepresented" and clarified that she does not deny testimonies from Israeli victims.
Tame, a leading advocate who spearheaded a historic legal fight enabling survivors to speak publicly under their own names, faced widespread criticism after a March interview with ABC broadcaster Hamish Macdonald. During the interview, she discussed her participation in a protest against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, where she led crowds in chanting slogans such as "From the river to the sea, globalize the intifada."
In that interview, Tame referred to reports of sexual assault during the October 7 Hamas terror attacks as claims that had been "debunked," suggesting that bad-faith actors orchestrated the reports to silence critics of Israel. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation subsequently received numerous complaints over the broadcast. Addressing the controversy on Instagram, Tame stated that she stands with all survivors of sexual violence regardless of identity.
"There is something I have wanted to clarify for some time now, and I regret not doing so sooner. I stand with survivors of sexual violence everywhere, regardless of their identity," Tame said in the video. While citing a Human Rights Watch report on the scope of systematic sexual violence during the October 7 massacres, she added: "I am not denying the legitimate allegations of rape raised by individual Israeli women, including testimonies of gang rape. I do not hate Israelis and I do not hate Jews."
Concluding her statement, the activist added: "I abhor the crimes of the state of Israel. I believe Israeli and Jewish survivors as I do all survivors. While that was never my intention, I recognize and sincerely apologize for the harm caused by the misrepresentation of my words."
