Israeli doctor ‘did not expect’ Australia to be the kind of country to boycott him

Israeli Doctor Moshe Farchi says he “definitely” did not expect Australia to be a country to stop him speaking at a conference over concerns raised by pro-Palestine activists. Mr Farchi who is highly qualified in acute trauma, emergency mental health intervention, and psychological inoculations had his slot at the Frontline Mental Health Conference cancelled last minute after a number of activists bombarded the organisers with calls to boycott his presentation. “I wasn’t expecting this kind of welcoming to me,” Mr Farchi told Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson. “I was really surprised. “I have so many good friends in Australia, so many people from my profession who I know quite well, I wasn’t expecting this kind of welcoming to me.” Conference organisers told Sky News Australia they had received a high volume of online abuse and telephone calls from protestors and activists regarding Mr Farchi’s attendance, and chose to follow expert security advice to cancel his slot as there was insufficient time to conduct a thorough risk assessment to ensure the safety of conference attendees.