Cars and buildings have been vandalised with anti-Israel graffiti in Sydney’s east with the New South Wales premier condemning the attack as “shocking” antisemitism.
Emergency services responded to reports of a vehicle on fire in Magney Street, Woollahra, about 1am on Wednesday, NSW police said in a statement.
The car, along with another vehicle, two buildings and the footpath along Magney Street, had been graffitied. Some of it was explicitly anti-Israel.
NSW police said the car set on fire was likely stolen and had been driven to Woollhara by the perpetrators, who had then torched it to destroy evidence.
“It was not a resident’s car,” assistant police commissioner Peter McKenna told reporters. “So it’s the graffiti itself and the antisemitic remarks that they have spray-painted on those houses and footpaths that we are investigating.”
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the vandalism in Woollahra was a “hate crime” and an “antisemitic attack”.
“Civic and civil society is completely appalled by these acts of violence,” he told reporters.
“This is an attack on our community and the Jewish community in Sydney. It is antisemitic and needs to be met with a full response from NSW police and the NSW government.”
The premier on ABC radio cited “the location of the crime, the suggestion [in the graffiti] that they should kill Israel, the sequence of events following the burning down of a synagogue in Melbourne, the attacks in Sydney several weeks ago, the demonstrations outside religious institutions”.
Minns said there had to be “zero tolerance when it comes to people that want to … rip apart our community”.
The premier told reporters he had spoken to Israel’s ambassador to Australia to assure him “we regard this as a disgusting display of antisemitism and the vast, vast majority of people that live in NSW are horrified by it and recognise Israel as an ally and friend of Australia”.
The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, suggested dedicated officers from Operation Shelter would increase patrols. The force would focus on finding the perpetrators, who could face a maximum of 10 years in jail, she said.
“Offensive” graffiti was also spotted on the walls of a construction site in Arncliffe on Monday night by NSW police, the force said on Wednesday.
Pictures in media outlets showed the graffiti praised Hitler and included antisemitic tropes. Officers attended and were investigating.
NSW police said investigators didn’t believe the Woollahra vandalism was linked to a similar incident in mid-November because two people were already in custody and before the courts regarding that alleged crime.
David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said his community was “outraged, appalled and deeply saddened by what transpired in Woollahra”.
“This is the latest attack in a sustained campaign of intimidation, harassment and terror against the Jewish community … [but] it will not be cowered.”
Anthony Albanese said the vandalism was an “outrage” and “another antisemitic attack” and that he had spoken with the Australian federal police seeking a briefing.
“I stand with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn this attack,” the prime minister said.
“There’s no place for antisemitism in this country, or anywhere for that matter.
“This is an attack on people because they happen to be Jewish. The idea that we take a conflict overseas and bring it here is something that is quite contrary to what Australia was built on, which is one where we have great strength [that] comes from the fact that people can live with different faiths, different ethnicities, different backgrounds, side by side. This is a hate crime. It’s as simple as that.”
Allegra Spender, the federal MP for Wentworth, urged “really strong police action”.
“We need to find the people who did this and really show that … it is unacceptable.”
Liberal senator Dave Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, said the Albanese government was seeking to “continually demonise Israel”.
“Jewish Australians quite rightly feel besieged and threatened right now, and honestly, they feel that the government and their political leaders are letting them down.”
Albanese on Wednesday said it was a time for unity – not divisive comments seeking political advantage.
Police wanted to speak with two people believed to have been in the vicinity at the time, who had slim builds, were aged between 15 and 20 and had face coverings and dark clothing.
The NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, said that “every person has the right to feel safe in their own city”.
“We are committed to throwing everything we can behind this investigation and response and will provide further details on our actions in due course,” she said in a statement.
