Anti-Semitism in Australia: Vandals burn car, spray graffiti in latest attack

Antisemitic attack in Sydney suburb prompts condemnation and investigation, with suspects sought by authorities.

Vandals torched a car and sprayed graffiti with anti-Israel slogans including an apparently, misspelled “Kill Israiel" on Wednesday (December 11, 2024) in a Sydney suburb that is home to Australia's largest Jewish community. Officials condemned the attack as antisemitic.

The incident in the Eastern Suburbs of Woollahra came after federal police this week established a task force to investigate increasing antisemitic crimes across the country. Police were searching for two male suspects, aged between 15 and 20, who were seen running from the scene of the attack, wearing face masks, or balaclavas, and dark clothing, New South Wales (NSW) State Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.

She said there were “antisemitic writings” on the walls of two buildings, two cars including the burnt car, and the sidewalks. She did not detail what words were spraypainted, but the media photographed “Kill Israiel” painted on a garage door.

Last week's arson at a Melbourne synagogue marked an escalation in targeted attacks in Australia since the war began between Israel and the Militant Hamas group started over a year ago in the Gaza Strip.

Premier Chris Minns, the Sydney-based leader of the NSW state government, described the attack as an attempt to “intimidate the Jewish community in Sydney”.

“This was a targeted attack in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs directly after the burning down of a synagogue,” Mr. Minns told reporters. “This was a deliberate attack — designed to put fear into the hearts of the people who live in Sydney’s east,” he added.

Police say the torched car had been stolen from elsewhere and used by the suspects to get to Woollahra. Stolen cars are often torched before they are abandoned. Two men are in custody facing multiple charges after buildings were similarly graffitied with antisemitic slogans and a car was set alight in another part of Woollahra on Nov. 21. They each face prison sentences of up to 10 years if convicted.