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No joy for Australia’s Albanese as opposition slams ‘antisemitic’ T-shirt

On Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese disembarked a Royal Australian Air Force jet at Sydney Airport wearing a Joy Division T-shirt featuring imagery from the 1979 album Unknown Pleasures.
The band's name traces to Yehiel De‑Nur's The House of Dolls, with critics noting Joy Division refers to a Nazi camp wing where women faced sexual slavery and Mr Albanese was warned on an April 2022 podcast.
In parliament, Sussan Ley demanded an apology, saying `I don't take a backwards step on my comments and I don't know that people realise that the prime minister in wearing the t-shirt was well aware of the dark history behind the words on the t-shirt`,
Mr Albanese defended his decision, saying he had not expected to be photographed last week, while retailers including Knart and JB‑HiFi continue to sell Joy Division T-shirts.
At a time when Jewish Australians are reporting rising antisemitism, critics said Anthony Albanese's music‑fan background does not excuse ignoring unimplemented recommendations from envoy Jillian Segal.

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