Antisemitic Attacks on Synagogues in Sydney

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Note: This article contains images of the Nazi hakenkreuz symbol.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned “vile” antisemitic graffiti after a synagogue in Sydney’s inner west was vandalised with Nazi symbols overnight.

The Newtown Synagogue in Sydney’s inner-west was the latest site targeted, with red hakenkreuz symbols — the swastika appropriated by the Nazi party — spray-painted across its front wall.

Police are investigating the incident and attended the scene on Saturday morning.

The fence of a synagogue with the red Nazi Hakenkreuz symbol painted in red multiple times.

Police are investigating after Newtown Synagogue was vandalised with Nazi symbols. Source: SBS News

The vandalism came hours after similar graffiti was spray-painted on a house in Sydney’s east.

In a post on X, Albanese called the graffiti “abhorrent” and said such vandalism “needs to stop immediately”.

“Australia is a better place than this,” the prime minister added.

“We made it illegal to use Nazi and other hate symbols because there’s no place in Australia for antisemitism.

“The people that committed these crimes should face the full force of the law.”

The synagogue in Newtown is the second Jewish house of worship to be targeted with Nazi symbols in as many days.

On Friday morning, the hakenkreuz was also scrawled across the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah, an incident that police are still investigating.

The place of worship is in the Kogarah electorate of NSW Premier Chris Minns, who described the attack as hate-filled, horrific, and designed to divide the community.

“It’s disgusting and disgraceful,” Minns told reporters on Friday.

“There are, unfortunately, some bastards out there that are determined to rip into our community, and they should be ashamed of the actions that they’ve taken.”

A man wearing tan chinos and a long-sleeved blue collared shirt stands with his arms folded.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has condemned antisemitic attacks in Sydney. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

‘They’re hateful and have no place in Australia’

On Friday, speaking about the Allawah attack, Albanese 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,” he said.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the community expects “swift arrests” to be made for those involved in the Allawah attack.

“As long as these people evade justice for trying to terrorise Australian citizens, it will continue,” he wrote on X.

The vandalism of the two synagogues follows a number of anti-Israel and antisemitic attacks across Sydney in recent weeks.

On Monday, a car was vandalised with the words ‘F—K THE JEWS’ in Queens Park, in Sydney’s inner east, where some members of the city’s Jewish community live.

David Ossip, president 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.”

Islamophobia also on the rise

An increase in Islamophobic attacks has also been recorded in Australia.

In December, the words and the words ‘cancel Islam’ were graffitied on a nearby advertisement, in the western Sydney suburb of Sefton.

Last month, Dr Nora Amath, the executive director of the Islamophobia register, said the organisation, which tracks reports of abuse and assault towards Australian Muslims, had , including graffiti.

“We had one that said ‘kill all Muslims,'” Amath told SBS News. “We’ve also had some references to the Christchurch terrorist.”

Earlier in December, a school bus belonging to an Islamic school in Adelaide was torched. The bus bore a large sign indicating it belonged to the school, which included the name and address of the Islamic college in smaller print.

South Australia police are investigating the incident but said there was no evidence the arson was racially motivated.