Warren Tredrea social post promotes 'antisemitic conspiracy theories', Jewish Council says

The Jewish Council of Australia has condemned a social media post by AFL football legend Warren Tredrea, saying it promotes "far-right antisemitic conspiracy theories" and Holocaust denial.

In a video posted on Tredrea's Instagram account, a guest on the former Port Adelaide captain and premiership winner's new podcast makes statements about Israel, which he says is a "fake state" that was behind the creation of terror group ISIS.

The guest, introduced as British Army veteran AJ Roberts, said Zionists were responsible for "controlling World War II", and also claimed the 9/11 terrorist attacks were carried out by Mossad.

"Mossad created ISIS with Barack Obama so ISIS actually stands for 'Israeli Specialist Intelligence Service'," Roberts told Tredrea.

The Jewish Council of Australia has criticised the post, saying that blaming World War II on Zionists is a form of Holocaust denial.

"The Jewish Council of Australia is deeply disturbed by the amplification of far-right antisemitic conspiracy theories in this Instagram post and podcast episode," executive officer Max Kaiser said in a statement.

Mr Kaiser criticised other comments by Tredrea's guest in the same Instagram post, saying it included "bizarre" theories "about satanic rituals, chakras and ley lines which are way off the deep end and do nothing to illuminate current events".

Mr Kaiser said while it was possible to make "entirely legitimate" criticism of the Israeli state and Zionism, the claim that "Zionists controlled World War Two" amounted to "a form of Holocaust denial".

The comments section alongside the post includes antisemitic slurs.

Tredrea, who launched the podcast, named Ballsy, in March, has been contacted by the ABC for comment.

He previously rejected an accusation he had been "backing people" who were "antisemitic".

After that claim was made on Channel Seven football show The Agenda Setters, Tredrea responded on social media platform X:

"What exactly do you mean by antisemitic? Do you even know what that means or is it something more sinister?"

The ABC has also contacted AJ Roberts for comment.

Warren Tredrea outside the Federal Court during his dispute with Channel Nine. (ABC News)

On podcast platform Spotify, Ballsy is described as a forum where "fearless guests bare their souls and disrupt belief systems".

"From sports legends and business titans to politicians, health and wellness visionaries, and explorers of the supernatural, we dive deep with big-hearted, straight-talking guests who aren't afraid to challenge the norms," the description states.

The interview with Roberts was uploaded to Spotify late last month, when three short trailers containing extracts from the interview were published on Tredrea's Instagram page.

In a response to the Instagram post, one person who identified themselves as a "Jewish Port Adelaide supporter" described the content as antisemitic and asked Tredrea to remove it.

"I believe that the trailer you posted is dangerous. Israel, which is colloquially known as 'the Jewish State' is being smeared in this trailer with prejudices and anti-Semitic tropes that significantly impact Jewish people in Australia and around the world," the person wrote.

"I am asking you to please consider how this affects my community now that you have aired this trailer."

At the time of the 2004 premiership, Tredrea — who is here pictured with then coach Mark Williams — was the club's acting captain. (Getty Images: Mark Dadswell)

Last week, Port Adelaide Football Club chair David Koch was asked about the security of Tredrea's position on the club's board, after the former Power premiership captain appeared in court to deal with matters arising from his dispute with his former employer Channel Nine, where he worked as a sports newsreader.

Tredrea, who also works for Adelaide radio station FiveAA as a football pundit, had claimed Nine unfairly terminated his contract in 2022 because he refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Tredrea had been seeking almost $6 million in lost wages, but the Federal Court dismissed his case last year after accepting Nine's counter-argument that his contract was not going to be renewed because of his job performance.

In an affidavit submitted to the court relating to his debt to Nine's legal team, Tredrea described himself as a "private man" who was "not an entity, legal person, person, citizen, resident, name, trust, estate, government entity or employee … or any form of creature of statute".

"I believe only gold or silver coins in common circulation can pay a debt," Tredrea stated in the document.

The affidavit stated that Tredrea had discharged his debt in the form of a "promissory note".

"I have not seen or been presented with any material facts or evidence that shows that a promissory note is not legal tender and cannot, once delivered, discharge a financial obligation or liability to pay a debt, and I believe sincerely that none exists," he stated.

Port Adelaide Football Club chair David Koch with Tredrea in 2024. (ABC News)

Outside court, Tredrea was asked whether he recognised himself as a citizen of Australia and replied: "Absolutely I do".

"I am a citizen and they've already been paid from a legal form of payment," he told journalists.

During an appearance on FiveAA the following morning, Koch defended Tredrea's position as a director on the club's board and described the views expressed in court as a "private matter".

"Warren is a member-elected director of the Port Adelaide board — he represents our members, they elected him. Like all directors on a board he's a volunteer so he's not a paid member of staff," he said.

"He's a really good contributor to board meetings and also our football strategic committee.

"What happens in his private life is up to him, and whether you agree with some of the things he says or not doesn't really matter. I'm just interested in how he performs as a director on the Port Adelaide board and he's doing pretty well."

The ABC contacted the Power for comment about Tredrea's Instagram posts and podcast, but the club declined.

A club spokesperson said he had been in contact with chair David Koch and CEO Matthew Richardson and the club had resolved "we won’t be making comment on this matter".

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