Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
International Business Times
International Business Times
World
AFP News

Vandals Paint Anti-Israel Graffiti, Burn Car In Sydney

A forensics police officer stands in front of the wall where anti-Israel graffiti has been removed in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra (Credit: AFP)

Two suspects daubed anti-Israel graffiti and torched a car in a Sydney suburb on Wednesday, police said, sparking "outrage" from Australia's government days after a Melbourne synagogue was set ablaze.

Police said they were seeking two males believed to be in their late teens who were "disguised" and seen running from the scene in the early hours.

The offenders burned the car they had been driving, and spread graffiti over the burned car, another vehicle, two buildings and a footpath, New South Wales state police said.

Images on local media showed the misspelled phrase "Kill Israiel" sprayed in black on a white wall in the eastern suburb of Woollahra, which has a long-established Jewish community.

A contractor painted over the graffiti soon afterwards.

"The incident in Sydney is an outrage and another anti-Semitic attack," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"I stand with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn this attack. There is no place for hatred or anti-Semitism in our country."

The Australian leader said he would be briefed by a federal police task force that was set up this week to investigate anti-Semitic attacks.

Albanese had toured the charred remains of the Melbourne synagogue the day before, urging the country to unite in the face of the "evil" arson attack.

Counter-terror police are hunting for three suspects believed responsible for setting fire to the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on Friday.

The synagogue blaze was met with international condemnation, including from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused the Australian government of harbouring "anti-Israel sentiment".

The war in Gaza has sparked protests from supporters of Israel and Palestinians in cities around Australia, as in much of the world.

A body representing Australia's Jewish community said the Sydney graffiti and car burning was designed to "terrorise".

"How long will this continue and with what horrors will it end?" asked Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

"We ask that you stand with us. March with us. Don't let this evil tear our country to pieces."

The New South Wales state premier, Chris Minns, said the Sydney incident was "shocking".

"This is not the Sydney we want. These racist attempts to divide our city will not work," the premier said.

The perpetrators "will be found and they will face the full force of the law", he said.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (2nd R) and Rabbi Shlomo Kohn (R) visit the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 10, 2024, after it was set ablaze (Credit: AFP)
Children from the local Jewish community look at the tributes left outside the torched Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 10, 2024 (Credit: AFP)
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.