Controversial senator Fatima Payman weighs into NSW Health workers’ vile anti-Semitic video comments

Controversial senator Fatima Payman has weighed into the debate over the two NSW nurses filmed making vile anti-Semitic comments, saying no one should ever be denied healthcare while accusing politicians of double standards.

Sydney nurses Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh received widespread condemnation after Israeli influencer Max Veifer released a shocking video of the pair, in uniform, making the anti-Semitic comments.

The pair claimed they would let Israeli patients die if they came into their hospital — later revealed as Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

Ms Payman — who quit Labor in the middle of 2024 over its approach to achieving Palestinian statehood — said she did not support the comments made on the video.

“Let me be crystal clear — what these two nurses said was wrong,” she said.

“No one should ever be denied medical care based on their race, religion or nationality.

“There is never an excuse for that.”

But Ms Payman went on to say there was a double standard among politicians and media, saying the “elephant in the room” was the enormity of the response to the video.

“These individuals have been fired, banned from ever working as nurses again, raided by the police, placed under the most intense public scrutiny and (are) now the ones being hospitalised. They’ve apologised, they have been punished,” she said.

“What is the end goal here? What exactly are we trying to achieve? Justice or just public humiliation?

“We never see the same level of anger and vitriol when the roles are reversed.”

Senator Payman cited a recent alleged attack on an imam in Sydney, who a woman attempted to run over near a school, and last week’s incident where the Daily Telegraph sent a man wearing a Star of David cap into a Muslim-run cafe in an apparent attempt to provoke a reaction.

“When Muslims face discrimination, when Islamophobic or anti-Palestinian attacks happen, where is the prime minister?” Senator Payman said in the message.

“Instead, there’s silence, absolute dangerous deafening silence.”

She said the double standard had to end, with Islamophobic attacks condemned in the same way as anti-Semitic ones.

“Otherwise, we are not standing for justice, we’re simply picking sides,” she said.

“And that is what fuels division in our society. That is what actually damages our social cohesion.”