A 68-year-old man has been charged after allegedly throwing a packet of bacon at and spitting on a passerby who approached him over antisemitic graffiti he allegedly daubed on a fence on a Melbourne main road.

The man, from Macedon, an hour away in central Victoria, was charged last night with criminal damage, unlawful assault and marking offensive graffiti over the incident on Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park, on January 31.

“There is absolutely no place at all in our society for antisemitic or hate-based symbols and behaviour,” Victoria Police said

Port Phillip Mayor Louise Crawford said the council had removed the “significant” graffiti.

“Our closely-knit Jewish community is still reeling from the December arson attack at the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea,” Crawford said.

“While, thankfully, this incident did not involve physical injuries, it is still a cowardly attack targeting Port Phillip’s Jewish community.”

The 68-year-old was bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on May 6.

The incident follows antisemitic incidents in Sydney, Byron Bay, NSW and Perth.