2nd antisemitic incident in a week rocks Australia
After a synagogue was set on fire last Friday - unknown individuals damaged property, set a stolen car on fire, and sprayed anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli graffiti in a Jewish area in Sydney
Vandals perpetrated antisemitic acts of vandalism on Wednesday in a Jewish area of Sydney, Australia. The rioters damaged property, lit a stolen car, and wrote graffiti on the walls with antisemitic phrases and inscriptions against Israel.
"There is no place for antisemitism in multicultural Australia," authorities said.
The event in Sydney joins the burning of the Adat Israel synagogue last Friday in Melbourne, when the building was set on fire while community members were praying in it. In this case, the police are still looking for three suspects.
The Prime Minister of New South Wales, Chris Minns, called this in an interview to Australian media "a hate crime on the streets of Sydney." Police Commissioner Karen Webb is asking for the public's help in finding the perpetrators. "The attackers were masked," she said.
Following the arson of the synagogue, the establishment of a task force in the country was announced last Monday to combat anti-Semitism. The head of the Australian Federal Police, Reese Karsho, said "the unit will consist of a fast and experienced crew of counter-terrorism investigators, and will focus on threats, violence and hatred towards the Jewish community in Australia and members of parliament."