A claim circulating widely on social media asserts that the Australian government has declared George Soros a global terrorist (here & here). In this article, we fact-check this claim.
Claim: Australian government has declared George Soros a global terrorist.
Fact: Australia has not declared George Soros a global terrorist, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Attorney-General’s Department. Neither the Australian government’s Consolidated List nor the national security agency includes George Soros or any of his organizations as terrorists or terrorist organizations. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
George Soros is a Hungarian-born American financier and philanthropist who operates the Open Society Foundations, with Soros Fund Management LLC as its principal asset manager. Soros has often been the target of false claims, with allegations that he funds & promotes regime change agents in various countries.
A Google search with relevant keywords did not turn up any reports on this matter. If the Australian government had indeed declared him a terrorist, it would have been reported by the media; however, no such reports were found.
Additionally, under Australian law, Australia’s Foreign Minister has the authority to designate individuals or entities involved in or facilitating terrorist acts. The Consolidated List includes all persons and entities subject to Australian sanctions laws, which impose targeted financial sanctions and potentially travel bans. However, George Soros is not mentioned in the Consolidated List updated on 25 July 2024.
Furthermore, the national security agency has listed 30 terrorist organizations, including Hamas and the Islamic State. However, neither Soros Fund Management nor the Open Society Foundations are mentioned on this list.
Additionally, Soros is not included on the UN’s sanctions list. In March of this year, a spokesperson from the Attorney-General’s Department confirmed to Reuters that Soros was not included on Australia’s sanctions list. These factors collectively establish that the viral claim is false.
To sum up, Australia has not declared George Soros a ‘Global Terrorist’.
