A car was set on fire, and anti-Israel graffiti was sprayed on buildings in Woollahra on Monday, a Sydney suburb with Australia’s largest Jewish community. The attack comes shortly after federal police launched a task force to address the rise in antisemitic crimes nationwide in Australia.
Authorities are searching for two suspects, believed to be between 15 and 20 years old, who were spotted at the scene wearing dark clothing and face masks or balaclavas.
This incident follows an arson attack last week on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue. In recent months, cars and buildings have reporetdly been vandalised and set ablaze in acts linked to the war. Federal police also launched special operation this week to combat antisemitic attacks nationwide, including the Melbourne synagogue arson, the June attack on Jewish lawmaker Josh Burns’ office in Melbourne, and a similar incident last month involving a car in Woollahra.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the Woollahra attack on Wednesday as an “outrage” and a “hate crime.”
“It is another antisemitic attack and all Australians must condemn it,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “I stand with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn this attack. There’s no place for antisemitism in this country or anywhere else for that matter.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, after being briefed on the attack by Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw, dismissed claims that the incident could be interpreted as criticism of Israel rather than targeting Jewish people. He said, “This isn’t an attack on a government; this is an attack on people simply because they are Jewish. Bringing an overseas conflict here is fundamentally against Australia’s values.”
Kellie Sloane, a MP representing Vaucluse, described the emotional toll on the community, recounting conversations with residents who were brought to tears following the incident. “People are both deeply upset and emotional, and there are people in tears” she said according to news.com.au.
Criticism of the government’s response to rising antisemitism has grown, with opponents accusing Albanese of hesitating to denounce the trend to avoid alienating pro-Palestinian groups. Lawmaker Hume criticised the government for what she called a lack of decisive action. “By prevaricating and using ambiguous language, the government seems to have emboldened, if not enabled, those committing these offenses by failing to demonstrate leadership,” she said.
( With agency inputs)
