Australian batter Usman Khawaja has posted his support for veteran cricket journalist Peter Lalor after he was sacked by SEN Radio following complaints about his social media activity over the plight of Palestinians.
Lalor had been covering the Sri Lanka tour for SEN but was told on day four of the first Test by SEN chief Craig Hutchison that his services were being terminated, according to a report in The Age.
He had been posting and re-posting on X a series of news stories about Israeli attacks in Gaza and the fate of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Khawaja was prevented by the ICC 15 months ago from displaying “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” on his shoes in the colours of the Palestinian flag as a personal protest against the war in Gaza.
He was shocked that Lalor had been given his marching orders and posted on Instagram that Lalor “deserves better” from SEN.
“Standing up for the people of Gaza is not antisemitic nor does it have anything to do with my Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia, but everything to do with the Israeli government and their deplorable actions.
“It has everything to do with justice and human rights. Unfortunately hatred towards the Jewish and Muslim community will always exist. Pete is a good guy with a good heart. He deserves better.”
Lalor issued a statement to say he received mixed messages from SEN before the station pulled the plug on his services.
Cricket journalist Peter Lalor. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
““I was told in one call there were serious organisations making complaints; in another I was told that this was not the case. Perhaps I misunderstood. I was told there were accusations I was antisemitic which I strongly objected to. I was told my retweeting was not balanced, and insensitive to one side and that many people had complained.
“I was asked by station boss Craig Hutchison, who was civil, if I didn’t care that my retweeting of events in Gaza made Jewish people in Melbourne feel unsafe. I said I didn’t want anyone to feel unsafe. Of course, I care. I have friends who are frightened and have heard the fear in their voices during conversations. It is an awful situation. But so is Gaza. It was a brief and cordial call.
“The following day Hutchison told me that because the ‘sound of my voice made people feel unsafe’ and that people are ‘triggered by my voice’, I could not cover the cricket for them anymore.”
Usman Khawaja scored a double-century at Galle. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
SEN provided a statement to The Age confirming it had “parted ways” with its freelance commentator.
“We’ve been in dialogue through the back half of the Test about some of the commentary on Peter’s private social media feed. Peter and I have a different view of the impact of that in the Australian community,” Hutchison said in the statement.
“SEN Cricket is a celebration of differences and nationalities and a place where our SEN audience can escape what is an increasingly complex and sometimes triggering world.
“We respect Pete as a journalist and long-time contributor to the game but also acknowledge the fear that many families in our community feel right now, and we also need to respect that.”
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