Police in Sydney reported on Saturday that a synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti, just a day after another synagogue in the New South Wales capital was similarly vandalized.
Australia has seen a series of antisemitic incidents in the last year, including graffiti on buildings and cars in Sydney, as well as an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne that police have ruled as terrorism.
In the latest incident, police said they were notified of graffiti on the synagogue, in the inner suburb of Newtown, early Saturday.
A house in Sydney’s east, a hub of the city’s Jewish community, was also daubed with antisemitic graffiti, police said, adding they were also probing offensive comments on a street poster in the suburb of Marrickville.
On Friday, a special police taskforce was set up to investigate an attack on the Southern Sydney Synagogue in the suburb of Allawah in the early hours of Friday morning.
“(There is) no place in Australia, our tolerant multicultural community, for this sort of criminal activity,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday, referring to the Southern Sydney Synagogue incident.
Rising Antisemitic Incidents
Australia has seen an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 and Israel launched its war on Gaza. Some Jewish organisations have said the government has not taken sufficient action in response.
Community leaders have expressed concern over hate speech, vandalism, and harassment targeting Jewish and Muslim communities.
Synagogues and mosques have been defaced, and individuals have reported threats and verbal abuse.
Authorities and advocacy groups are urging calm and emphasising unity amid the heightened tensions.
The Australian government has condemned hate crimes, increasing security measures and calling for mutual respect as the nation grapples with the repercussions of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
(With inputs from Reuters)
