According to cartoonist Cathy Wilcox, calls for a royal commission into antisemitism are nothing more than the Liberal Party and its enablers marching to Benjamin Netanyahu’s drum, the various business leaders, sports people, etc, who have called for it nothing but useful idiots for the political right (Letters, January 7). So why not hold a royal commission? The various objections raised – takes too long, costs too much, won’t achieve anything – are all general objections, applicable to any and all royal commissions. So are the objectors saying we should never have them? If not, why not? I presume they (Wilcox included) are not saying that this case is not serious enough to justify such a move. If they are, perhaps a reminder is due: Australian citizens have been murdered; they have been murdered because they are Jewish; the murders are the culmination of a two-year spike in antisemitic incidents, causing Jewish schools and places of worship to employ security measures not needed by any other minority group. Bondi did not come out of the blue – Australia has a serious problem. It needs to be addressed, and addressed by the most thorough processes available. If a royal commission is not the answer, what is? Stephen Buckle, Glebe

I am flabbergasted that Cathy Wilcox casually dismisses those calling for a royal commission into the Bondi killings as a right-wing, Netanyahu-led conspiracy. It demeans those from all sides of politics who believe in good faith that it is the right thing to do, and is a slap in the face for the families of the dead who asked for it. Michael Berg, Randwick

Cathy Wilcox’s cartoon showing various sections of the broader Australian community as marching to Israel’s drumbeat is offensive. Antisemitism existed before the state of Israel was established in 1948. It existed here in Australia before Israel even commenced its reaction to the Hamas pogrom of October 7, 2023. Wilcox has exploited an ancient Jew hatred trope to diminish the just and rightful demand for a royal commission into the worst terrorist attack in recent Australian history. Paul Zwi, Bellevue Hill

Acts of violence against Jewish people are often rooted in the belief of the perpetrators that they are part of a conspiracy of Jewry, secretly pursuing their ends and pushing their agendas, often to the detriment of the rest of humanity. To publish a cartoon perpetuating this myth shows that a royal commission into antisemitism is the least that is needed. Bill Meredith, Chapel Hill (Qld)

Are we being herded behind the scenes towards a royal commission? Are we being subjected to a well-orchestrated marketing campaign using public figures to pressure the prime minister? There are many compelling reasons put forward to support a royal commission, but my suggestion would be to let the Richardson review proceed. When its report comes out in April, we as a nation can assess the need for a royal commission. Given the time, resources, planning costs and scope a commission requires, we would at least have solid research, information and recommendations on which to set one up. We may also have some strategies that could be put in place immediately to help all Australians confront and act on what the Bondi murders of Jewish Australians says about our country. The horror of December 14 was deeply shocking for us all. We need to build a way forward where the unthinkable remains unthinkable. Anne Skates, Bomaderry

Cathy Wilcox has shown how the demands for a royal commission by well-intentioned Australians play into Netanyahu’s hands. Many Australians abhor what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinian people, their lands and infrastructure. The real problem we need to fight is extremism, and the actions taken so far and those being planned have been in the right directions. Ann Hatton, Manly

Other violence exists

Correspondent Peter Neufeld’s claim that antisemitism “isn’t like other forms of racism ... because it can and does inspire lethal violence” overlooks centuries of history (Letters, January 7). Our own wars against Aboriginal Australians, the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusader wars, eons of Sunnis versus Shiites, and many pockets of killings and deportations all over the world should not be overlooked. All have involved prejudice leading to lethal violence. So where should a royal commission start and where would it end? And achieve what? A steady and reflective look at gun laws and society-wide response, including education, would surely be more beneficial. Bill Johnstone, Blackheath

Wednesday’s correspondent exemplifies the danger of treating antisemitism as uniquely violent by reducing other forms of racism to mere “disdain or exclusion”. This is not historically accurate. Racism against others has always involved organised violence, scapegoating and lethal outcomes, often with broad social or institutional complicity. Antisemitism is real, entrenched and deadly, but so is racism in its many forms. To sustain a hierarchy of suffering requires wilful blindness to this reality and undermines the very solidarity required to confront it. Sam Icklow, Dangar Island

Peter Neufeld, I think you have forgotten Christchurch. Janet Cook Waverton

Fired by fossil fuels

It is no secret that the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was about access to oil. The hostile rhetoric within the US administration that climate change does not exist, and the removal of all subsidies to renewable energies and electric vehicles, is clearly designed to facilitate continued reliance on fossil fuels. They obviously don’t think renewable technologies could return the profits they make from oil and gas, despite renewables being inherently more efficient and infinitely better for the planet. Cheryl Kay, Miranda

In addition to the US-backed coups cited by Colin Douglas (Letters, January 7), we should add: Cuba 1952, Guatemala 1953, Paraguay 1954, Brazil 1964, Dominican Republic 1965, Uruguay 1973, Peru 1962, 1975, Argentina 1976, El Salvador 1980, Nicaragua 1980s, Bolivia 1980s, Venezuela 2002, 2026, Panama 1989, Haiti 1959, 2004, Honduras 2009. America’s history of backing dictatorships is nothing new. David Baird, Burradoo

Hands off Greenland

I have read with horror the latest about the possible hostile acquisition of Greenland by the US (“White House escalates Greenland clash with NATO allies”, January 7). In 2015, I travelled to Greenland to meet my brother, who had lived there since 1970 with his Greenlandic Inuit wife. He took us out in his oak sailing boat into those stunning Arctic fjords. I felt I had sailed to the dawn of time and my sister-in-law told me myths about the landscape as we sailed past. I met her family while there and was deeply touched by their welcome and kindness. Sadly, in these past few months my brother and wife have left Greenland after 55 years and moved to Denmark because of the growing fear of an American takeover. I cannot begin to imagine what will happen to this stunning country and kind-hearted people if this continues. The future must not be sold off to the highest bidders. Francesca Stahlut, Armidale

The latest news is that Denmark has shipped about a million troops to Greenland in preparation for an invasion by Donald Trump. Unfortunately, they are all made of Lego, but they can be very painful if you step on them. Martin Walton, Upper Kedron (Qld)

Leave QVB alone

Must commercialism always be prioritised when it comes to Sydney’s beauty and heritage (“QVB retailers want rid of its stained glass”, January 7)? It’s strange that Sydney City Council is even considering this profit-driven request by retailers seeking street visibility for shopfront displays. The QVB’s unique design allows for beautiful internal shopfronts. Retail premises do not often have shopfronts front and back. There are other city retail spaces available for those shopkeepers who don’t appreciate the cachet provided by the heritage aspects of Sydney’s QVB and its gorgeous stained-glass windows. An informal survey of visitors to the building will tell council all it needs to know. The QVB will stand long after shops come and go. Alison Stewart, Riverview

As a former marketing manager and centre manager of the heritage-listed Queen Victoria Building, I was alarmed, if not appalled, at the proposal put forward to Sydney Council by Vicinity Centres on behalf of two ground-floor fashion tenants to remove a section of the coloured stained-glass window panels that form part of the Market Street frontage. The building was once threatened with demolition and is now acknowledged as an example of a great restoration. It was said that Pierre Cardin visited QVB in 1986 and was highly impressed with the detailed floor tiling and the stained-glass windows. He apparently called it “the most beautiful shopping centre in the world”. The co-operation of Sydney City Council with Ipoh Ltd stands as a model for a successful collaboration in the restoration of heritage buildings. If my memory serves me, on opening day on November 18, 1986, The Sydney Morning Herald itself devoted a colour front page to the festivities, with the headline “QVB another Sydney jewel”. Suzanne Stirling, Paddington

QVB’s multicoloured glass panels above create a delightful rainbow-like effect. Vicinity Centres’ proposal to replace the multicoloured glass with clear glass would kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Retail tenants come and go. The landlord should not be capitulating to tenants’ whims and fancies at the expense of QVB’s heritage character. Hendry Wan, Rosebery

The suggestion that removing some of the heritage of our QVB building is required lacks logic or merit. Removing stained glass will not enhance its heritage significance. There are no justifiable economic reasons for this heritage heresy and building butchery, which should be stomped on by Sydney Council from a great height. After all, it’s part of the 1890s design and retailers rented their premises knowing the stained glass was part of its inherent attraction. Shoppers may well go elsewhere if the application is successful. Andrew Woodhouse, Potts Point

I thought that advertising a horse race on the Opera House took the cake, but, at least it was temporary. But, the Herald reveals that a DA has been lodged to remove the stained-glass windows from the beautiful Queen Victoria Building, opened in 1898. Sydney has lost a lot of its history, so let’s hope that the City of Sydney Council gives these philistines a black eye on this issue. Joe Weller, Mittagong

Businesses in one of Sydney’s iconic buildings seem to believe it’s the building which is affecting sales. Like retail everywhere, sales are dropping while prices rise, partly owing to online shopping. Shop owners are searching for a culprit. But, if it is the fault of the building’s windows then why wouldn’t businesses move to nearby empty shops? Perhaps, the clue is the building itself, which attracted retailers in the first place. Designed in the 19th century, QVB’s continuity to the present distinguishes it in a city which increasingly looks like other global cities – tall glass and steel buildings, wind-tunnel streets and arcades of shops. We must preserve the distinctiveness of its stained-glass windows in a building that epitomises the evolution of architecture and the city’s retail history. Glenda Gartrell, Newtown

Visiting the beautiful and charming QVB was a special day out, and about the only way I would agree to face the city. To even contemplate removal of the stained glass is complete lunacy. Let’s hope common sense prevails and the beautiful building remains intact. Kris Mckeon, Goonellabah

Target illegal bikes

There are legal e-bikes and illegal e-bikes (Letters, January 7). I ride a compliant e-bike. It’s a reputable brand so the chance of the battery combusting is effectively nil. It’s only cheap batteries that do that and one wonders why the government lets them into the country. My motor, by law, cuts out at 25km/h, so I cruise at a speed lower than most regular push bikes. Crucially, unlike many of the e-bikes you see kids flying about on, my bike does not have an illegal throttle. To make it go, I have to pedal. Before bringing in more draconian cycle laws, the first step should be to crack down on illegal bikes (and children not wearing a fastened helmet). Kids acting rudely on bikes is not just a failure of parenting, but also a failure of government to regulate and police. Keith Binns, Goulburn

Dolls were protected

Your correspondent’s letter about the Sunbeam repair centre (Letters, January 7) got me thinking about the Dolls Hospital in the Strand Arcade, where you left your doll to be “hospitalised” while being repaired. In those days, you had one doll for life and it looked like a real baby, unlike the freaky specimens of today. My doll was called Marilyn and she had several hospitalisations in her long life. Toni Lorentzen, Fennell Bay

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