Nazi swastikas were spray-painted on a synagogue in southern Sydney, sparking outrage from Australia’s Jewish community.
The Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah was daubed in anti-Jewish graffiti on Friday in an incident that political leaders labelled horrific and hate-filled.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns condemned the attack as hateful and divisive while prime minister Anthony Albanese urged for strict legal action, emphasising the importance of inclusivity in Australia’s multicultural society.
“It’s disgusting and disgraceful,” Mr Minns said.
He said there were people “out there that are determined to rip into our community and they should be ashamed of the actions that they’ve taken this morning”.
Mr Albanese said such crimes should be “called out for what they are”.
“They are hateful and have no place in Australia,” he said.
“Australians should respect each other and overwhelmingly do, regardless of their faith. We are a multicultural nation, we need to be inclusive and cohesive and that’s what my government is determined to support.”
In a separate incident on Monday, a car in Queens Park, home to some members of Sydney’s Jewish community, was defaced with antisemitic words.
David Ossip, head of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said: “No Australian should have to wake up every morning filled with apprehension about whether or not there’s been another anti-Semitic hate crime overnight.”
In early December, antisemitic slogans were scrawled on buildings and footpaths in Woollahra and an advertising board in Sefton, a western Sydney suburb, was defaced.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chief of the executive council of Australian Jewry, wrote on X: “As long as these people evade justice for trying to terrorise Australian citizens, it will continue.”
“We’re also calling on our fellow Australians, particularly those in positions of influence across society, to end the silence and publicly denounce this behaviour as repugnant to our national values and a threat to us all.”
