NSW premier claims "Terrible individuals" responsible for three new antisemitic events

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This article contains images of antisemitic graffiti.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said a string of fresh antisemitic incidents including graffiti sprayed on a Jewish school and a residential property next to it in Sydney’s Maroubra are “antithetical against everything Australia believes” and said counter-terrorism police have been deployed.

Police said on Thursday there were three separate antisemitic graffiti incidents in Sydney’s eastern suburbs overnight — in Maroubra, Eastgardens and Eastlakes.

Speaking on the Maroubra incident as students were supposed to return for their first day of the school year, Minns said it was: “utterly appalling and shameful that an individual would spray racist hate-filled messages on a school”.

“It tells you everything you need to know about how appalling these bastards are that they would rip apart a school on one of the first days of school with a racist antisemitic attack.”

Graffiti painted on a wall that reads "Jews are real terrorists".

Antisemitic graffiti was painted on the wall of a Jewish school in Maroubra. Source: Supplied / NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

Minns said there are “terrible people” in the community.

“I’m ashamed to say it — but that’s the truth. Bad morals, bad ethics, bad people that will commit these acts but Australians stand united against this appalling racism.”

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies called the vandalism “grotesque” and “sickening”.

“Children will be forced to walk past this repellent hate speech as they make their way back to school,” it said in a statement.

It comes as the premier filled with explosives and antisemitic notes had been found in Dural.

A man in a dark suit stands in front of a background with an Australian flag visible

NSW Premier Chris Minns said ‘terrible people’ are behind antisemitic attacks in NSW. Source: AAP / Steven Saphore

Speaking on the two incidents, the premier said they represent “undeniably an escalation in race-fuelled hatred and potential violence”.

He urged people to “dob in” anybody who could potentially commit similar offences.

“Send a clear and unambiguous message that Australians will not stand for this kind of violent hate-filled racist attack in Australia in 2025”, Minns said.

He said that in the past two weeks, 10 people had been arrested for malicious damage, fire damage and graffiti attacks in NSW.

In recent months there has been a spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney, with a and sprayed with antisemitic graffiti on 21 January.

Four days before, a house that formerly belonged to Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin was .

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said there had been an “unchecked” rise in antisemitism in Australia.

“The Government must commit additional resources — including heightened security at Jewish synagogues and schools — for reassurance and deterrence,” he wrote on X.