Multiple Swastikas Symbolizing Nazis Drawn on Sydney Synagogue
Graffiti Includes "Hitler is the Best" Message
A Jewish synagogue in Sydney, Australia, was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti.
On the 10th, Yonhap News Agency, citing Australia's AAP news agency, reported that ten swastikas, symbolizing the Nazis, were drawn on a Jewish synagogue building in Alawa, southern Sydney, early that morning. Next to them was a message saying "Hitler is the best."
People are investigating an anti-Semitic graffiti incident that occurred on the 10th (local time) at a Jewish synagogue in Allawah, Sydney, Australia. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Australian police, who launched an investigation, estimated that the graffiti was made between 3:55 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. that day. The investigation is ongoing.
About 100,000 Jews live in Australia, with large Jewish communities in Melbourne and Sydney.
The political sphere is also taking the incident seriously. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized, "The perpetrator must be tracked down and caught," adding, "There is no place for such criminal acts in Australia, a tolerant multicultural society."
Alex Rabin, co-chair of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), an Australian Jewish advocacy group, said, "We urge Australians, especially those with social influence, to end their silence and publicly condemn these acts as contrary to national values and a threat to all of us."
Currently, anti-Semitic crimes targeting Jews have been increasing in Australia since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 and Israel began its war on the Gaza Strip.
On the 15th of last month, citizens in Sydney, Australia held a rally protesting against anti-Semitism. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
On the 8th, Australia also withdrew its bid to host the Ice Hockey World Championship scheduled for April. Israel was to participate in this tournament, but the decision appears to have been influenced by terrorism threats stemming from anti-Semitic movements within Australia. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IHA) explained that it judged the tournament could not be held due to safety and security concerns, without directly mentioning Israel.
However, local media interpreted that the IHA made this decision due to concerns about terrorism threats if the Israeli national team attended amid the strong anti-Semitic movements in Australia.
On the 6th of last month, an arson incident occurred during early morning prayers at a synagogue in Melbourne. Australian authorities classified it as a terrorist act.
Also last month, anti-Semites set fire to a vehicle in Sydney and wrote graffiti threatening Israel on nearby buildings and sidewalks. In response, the Israeli government raised its travel advisory for Australia from level 1 to level 2 and advised its citizens to exercise caution when traveling to Australia.
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