Cars vandalised, vehicle torched in second anti-Israel attack in Woollahra in a less than a month
As Premier Chris Minns and Police Commissioner Karen Webb condemned Sydney’s latest act of anti-Semitic violence, and outlining their next steps to end the hate crimes, a lone protester interrupted.
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As Sydney reels from another graphic anti-Semitic attack in its eastern suburbs, a lone protester has been heard chanting “Free Palestine” during a press conference addressing the overnight “hate crime”.
It came as Police Commissioner Karen Webb addressed a media conference alongside Premier Chris Minns this morning at Bondi.
Ms Webb’s comments were interrupted by the woman’s slogan.
The woman, seen holding a surfboard and walking through Bondi Pavilion towards the beach, was swiftly spoken to by police.
The unknown woman continued speaking to multiple police officers away from the press conference before being left to go on her way to the beach.
HATE CRIME: NEW DETAILS OF ATTACK
It came as police have revealed the car set alight in an anti-Semitic attack in Woollahra in Sydney’s eastern suburbs about 1am Wednesday was driven to the scene by the culprits, who then torched it, and Mr Minns vowed to catch the “culprits” behind the attack in which two cars were damaged and anti-Israel slogans smeared across the walls of homes.
Mr Minns inspected the attack site in Woollahra just after 10.30am on Wednesday.
He met with police detectives guarding the graffitied house, and at one point, was seen shaking his head.
As he left, Minns described the scene as “appalling”.
“We wanted to see it for ourselves … appalling,” he said.
Earlier, he told media outside Bondi Pavilion that he was “concerned about the rising attacks” on the Jewish community”.
“I don’t think there’s any point sugar coating it or downplaying it,” he said.
‘HATE ON OUR STREETS’
“This was specifically designed to in my view to incite hate and intimidate the Jewish community in Sydney.”
The premier added it was important to be “clear and unambiguous about the meaning of this crime”.
Mr Minns described the attacks as a “hate crime on the streets of Sydney”.
He told reporters he had spoken to the Israel’s Ambassador to Australia and he made it “very clear … that we regarded this as a disgusting display of anti-Semitism”.
The premier said the “laws are serious” and while it deserves a comprehensive police investigation, there needs to be charges to “reflect the seriousness of the crime”.
Mr Minns confirmed, alongside Police Commissioner Karen Webb, that the NSW Police will “return the resourcing” in place with Operation Shelter which came into place after the October 7 attacks in Israel.
Ms Webb added the police will be “increasing further patrols” on dedicated teams.
Asked if the state’s response to anti-Semitism was different to his federal Labor colleagues, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mr Minns swiftly replied: “No”.
“We work closely with the Commonwealth authorities … it’s important that that communication and dialogue continue,” he said.
“We need to rely on … the Commonwealth government, security agencies and intelligence agencies to combat what is the basic threat and that is anti-Semitic violence.”
Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said he did not believe the incident overnight was linked to the other recent anti-Semitism in Woollahra:
“We don’t believe these incidents were linked. The (alleged) offenders from the last attack are still in custody,” he said.
“The vehicle that was set on fire was not a resident’s vehicle, it was actually the vehicle the offenders came in.
“It is the graffiti itself, the anti-Semitic remarks, that they have spray-painted on those houses, the footpath, that we are investigating.”
At two of the houses where “Death 2 Israiel” was graffitied on the front fence, residents were anxious about discussing the attack.
“We’ve got three kids in the house, we don’t want to be involved,” one woman said.
At the house next door, a woman said “we don’t want to talk about it”.
Council workers are in the process of using a high pressure hose to clean the vile wording off the fences of three houses, as well as the word “Jews” sprayed in white on the footpath
A police line search of Magney St was carried out by 10 officers who looked under parked cars, scoured bins and sifted through grass.
Front yards of houses were searched through for any clues that may identify the people involved in the vile overnight attack.
UNDER-PRESSURE PM CONDEMNS ATTACKS
Premier Minns and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a chorus of public figures to condemn the second anti-Semitic attack in the same suburb — known to have a high Jewish population with a number of synagogues and schools nearby — in less than a month.
In November, 10 cars were vandalised with anti-Israel graffiti and one car was set alight on a number of streets.
The latest attack comes with the PM under mounting pressure to control a wave of anti-Semitism in Australia: global human rights organisation on Tuesday issued a travel advisory warning for Jewish people not to travel to Australia.
That warning came in the wake of the synagogue firebombing in Melbourne, which has since been ruled an act of terror.
Police and Fire and Rescue NSW crews were called to Magney St in Woollahra about 1am Wednesday after reports of a car fire.
The burnt-out car, along with another, two buildings and the footpath along Magney St were daubed in graffiti.
Officers want to speak with two people believed to have been in the area at the time.
They are described as having a slim build, aged between 15 and 20 years old, wearing face coverings and dark clothing.
Photos from the scene show writing on a wall, behind a heavily burnt out car, and the scrawled words “kill Israiel” (sic) — with the Jewish nation spelled incorrectly.
‘EVIL’
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin blasted the attack as “evil” and said it was intended to make people grow scared.
“The Jewish community again wakes to scenes of terror and devastation,” he said.
“More burning cars and broken glass — another act intended to terrorise us, drive us from our country and make our fellow Australians fearful of associating with us.
“How long will this continue and with what horrors will it end?
“We ask that you stand with us. March with us.
“Don’t let this evil tear our country to pieces. We expect the new AFP taskforce to bring the perpetrators swiftly to justice.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said he was “outraged, appalled and deeply saddened” by the attacks.
“This is another attack on the Jewish community and on the fabric of our society,” he said.
“It is clear that the bigotry that once lurked in dark recesses of our state now brazenly stalks the Jewish community.”
He said those responsible “must face the full force of the law”.
“The sustained campaign of terror, intimidation and harassment directed at the Jewish community is a national crisis, and we need swift action in response,” he said.
‘OUTRAGE, HATE CRIME’: PM
Mr Albanese said any anti-Semitic attacks were not welcome in Australia.
“The incident in Sydney is an outrage and another anti-Semitic attack,” he said in a statement.
“I stand with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn this attack
“There is no place for hatred or anti-Semitism in our community.”
Later on ABC radio, he called the attack a “hate crime”.
“This is an attack, this isn’t an attack on a government, this is an attack on people because they happen to be Jewish — that is what has occurred,” he said.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park also moved to condemn the latest incident.
“It’s shocking and offensive. It’s not the city that we want”, Mr Park told ABC Radio Sydney.
The local member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloane told The Daily Telegraph it was “time for action” after the second spate of “hateful speech and messages” in her electorate in less than a month.
“(It’s) a section of our community that is just trying to live their lives peacefully,” she said.
“My heart breaks for the Jewish community … I know that the time for words has long passed, this is time for action.”
She said “locals are milling around in deep shock”.
“It’s a street that isn’t predominantly Jewish … this is a regular neighbourhood, in a regular street in a suburb that people want to get on with their lives, she told ABC radio.
“This is an attack by a couple of cowards who have come into this street in the middle of the night with spray paint and evil intent.
“They are deliberately targeting the Jewish community. They are coming into an area that has a heavy Jewish population.”
When asked about the street not being one that is home to a large amount of Jewish people she said: “They’ve picked the wrong street. They’re idiots. But, they are dangerous idiots.”
Eitan Franklin, a proud Jewish man who had seen the attacks on the news, said his first reaction was “anger”.
“I want to be scared, but I’m not going to let that happen,” he said.
“These incidents are not individual incidents … they’ve actually occurred many times … enough is enough.”
Mr Franklin said it was time for police and politicians to “step up”.
Federal Deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley called those responsible “thugs and hooligans” and demanded the “wishy-washy” Albanese government to step up as the nation faces a rising tide of anti-Semitism.
“I want to see arrests, I want to see action, I want to see strong leadership from the Prime Minister, and I’m not sure that we’re seeing that now,” she told Sky News.
SYNAGOGUE FIREBOMBING
On Tuesday, the PM was met by an unruly crowd of hecklers when he visited Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, five days after it was firebombed.
He had previously been slammed for failing to call out the incident as a terror attack and his government publicly criticised by Israel’s president Benjamin Netanyahu, after Canberra opted to vote in favour of Palestinian statehood at the UN this week.
Mr Albanese promised to help the community rebuild the synagogue which is estimated to have incurred millions of dollars of damage in the attack.
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Originally published as Cars vandalised, vehicle torched in second anti-Israel attack in Woollahra in a less than a month
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