Shocking moment Bankstown man jumps to defend Sydney nurses after their vile rant: ‘I stand with them’

A man in Sydney’s west has jumped to defend the two NSW Health nurses who appeared in a viral video making shocking anti-Semitic threats against patients.

Bankstown Hospital employees Ahmad ‘Rashad’ Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were filmed by Israeli influencer Max Veifer saying they would refuse to treat Jewish patients on their ward, with Lebdeh adding ‘I’ll kill them’. 

The pair have been deregistered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW as police investigate whether any laws have been broken. 

Mr Veifer has since posted the full, unedited footage of the exchange. 

Bankstown locals in Sydney’s south-west were quizzed over the rant on Thursday with one man arguing their comments should be protected under free speech. 

‘They have a free right to say whatever they want, you know?’ he told Sky News.

‘I stand with them. Yes. In any way possible.’

The young man went so far as to insist the nurses’ comments were provoked by ‘all the kids that Jews have killed’ during Israel’s war in Gaza.

A Bankstown man has defended the anti-Jewish threats made by two NSW Health nurses

Rashad Nadir (left) and Sarah Abu Lebdeh (right) from Bankstown Hospital were filmed by a Jewish influencer who released the video on social media. It has since been deleted

Other Bankstown residents the nurses’ comments were ‘not acceptable’ while another said ‘for them to joke like that, it’s just not funny’.

The video sparked widespread outrage from both politicians and Jewish groups and both nurses have been stood down from their roles and apologised. 

‘It’s Palestine’s country, not your country you piece of s***,’ Abu Lebdeh is heard saying in the clip. 

‘One day your time will come and you will die the most horrible death.’

‘You have no idea how many (Israelis) came to this hospital and I sent them to Jehannam (hell),’ Nadir said, while making a throat-slitting gesture.

Freedom of speech is not explicitly mentioned in the Australian Constitution, however, Australia has signed the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

That document states the right to expression should be protected, provided that there is consideration given to the rights and reputations of others. 

To that effect, the Commonwealth and all states except WA have criminalised hate speech where there is a threat of violence or damage to property.

Mohamad Abu Lebdeh (pictured) leapt to the defence of his sister Sarah on Wednesday

The NSW government is also pursuing a new offence of ‘inciting racial hatred’, which is expected to pass through Parliament later this month.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Parliament this week labelled the nurses’ comments ‘disgusting, sickening and shameful’ and said it was ‘clear’ a crime had been committed. 

‘The NSW government has acted. They’ve been stood down by the NSW authorities. They’ve rightly been referred to the NSW Police for criminal investigation,’ he said.

Sarah’s brother Mohamad Abu Lebdeh leapt to his sister’s defence outside her home on Wednesday night, telling Daily Mail Australia that she was ‘baited’ into making the sickening remarks and that parts of the video were ‘cut out’ and ‘edited’.

‘Sarah has wanted to be a nurse her whole life. She loved her job. She helps people, she doesn’t hurt them,’ he claimed.

‘That video was a set up. You can see that it’s edited. You can see the jump cuts.

‘Sarah said those things but she was pushed. She was baited.’

Mohamad also claimed that his sister was antagonised by Mr Veifer.

‘Sarah was born here, but has lost 70 family members in Palestine, completely wiped out,’ her brother added. 

‘She snapped. Anyone would, hearing that. To hear those things. It’s too much, but he cut that part out and made it look like she just said that.

‘She was provoked. She is a nurse and has won awards.’

Mr Veifer broke his silence on Sharri Markson’s Sky News program on Wednesday night and issued a grim warning for all Australians about the rise of anti-Semitism.

‘I hope I opened their eyes a little bit to this tremendous anti-Semitism that is going on in Australia and I hope they’ll finally start taking actions to prevent these events from happening,’ he said.

‘It’s not the only case. I just recorded it, right?’

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk