Anthony Albanese calls for unity against anti-Semitism after Sydney, Melbourne incidents

After he was heckled at a Melbourne synagogue hit by a terror attack, Anthony Albanese has condemned an anti-Semitic incident in Sydney but failed to say what action he’d take.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dodged questions about his government’s response to rising anti-Semitism during a brief appearance in Brisbane.

Mr Albanese was in the electorate of Griffith to deliver a set piece speech on federal Labor’s childcare policies, including major promises to give bigger access to childcare regardless of how much parents earn if re-elected.

But Mr Albanese, who has been facing mounting criticism for not condemning a synagogue firebombing as an act of terrorism quick enough, refused to take questions after the event.

Overnight a car was burnt and houses vandalised with anti-Israel slogans in Sydney.

Walking to his car, Mr Albanese would only say he had “condemned” the Woollahra attack.

He did not hold a press conference.

“I’ve been briefed by the AFP on their investigation into the disgraceful incident in Sydney overnight,” he said .

“I unequivocally condemn the shameful acts that are aimed at the Jewish community.

“We must all continue to stand together against anti-Semitism. One of the things that makes us the greatest nation on earth is that people of every faith and background have the right to feel safe, we must preserve that and defend it and my government will.”

Anthony Albanese has condemned an anti-Semitic incident in Sydney. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

Mr Albanese was heckled and urged to resign by angry members of Australia’s Jewish community on Tuesday, during his first visit to a Melbourne synagogue firebombed in a terror attack five days ago.

After spending half an hour touring the ruins of the Adass Israel Synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea, the Prime Minister was abruptly whisked away by Australian Federal Police as the crowd outside intensified, with some yelling taunts like “your words are cheap”, “you’re late”, “you let this happen” and “it was a nice day for tennis”.

Jewish groups have said the government will be judged on “what they do, not what they say” after criticising Labor’s delayed response in acknowledging the attack as a terror incident, as well as the PM’s decision not to cut short a trip to Perth over the weekend to visit the synagogue following the firebombing early Friday morning.

Mr Albanese promised financial aid to restore the synagogue after meeting with members of the Adass community.

Board member Benjamin Klein said it was “amazing to see the Prime Minister standing with us, and we are very grateful”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits the fire damaged Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. The PM is treated by Jewish community leaders and walks to the temporary fence covered in flowers. Picture: David Caird

But the mood was less welcoming outside, with yells of “go live in Gaza” directed at Mr Albanese from among a group of hecklers who locals said were not a part of the Adass community.

The angry crowd also referenced Mr Albanese’s decision to play a two-hour game of tennis in Perth on Saturday, which the PM later defended as exercise.

Mr Albanese spoke briefly after he had toured the burnt-out remains of the synagogue, saying the country needed to “come together and unite” after the “evil crime”.

“This arson attack is an act of terrorism. It was fuelled by anti-Semitism and it was stoked by hatred,” he said.

“One of the things that we spoke about inside with the community leaders was the fact that people have come to Australia because we are a country that is peaceful.

“We are a country that respect people of different faith and are enriched by our diversity here.”

The PM was then rushed away from the site by the AFP as the surging crowd refused to comply with requests to stand back.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looks concerned at the crowd crush while protected by his security team leaving from a side door of the Synagogue after a meeting with community leaders. Picture: David Caird

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said he believed Mr Albanese understood there was a national anti-Semitism problem requiring immediate solutions.

“While we’re pleased he has visited the synagogue, actions matter more than words and the government will be judged based on what they do, not what they say,” Mr Aghion said.

Zionist Federation president Jeremy Leibler said he had “no doubt” the PM wanted to convey his “disgust” at the terror attack, but going forward the government must show it has heard the cries from the Jewish and wider Australian community for there to be “strong moral leadership” to tackle anti-Semitism.

Labor MP Josh Burns said the congregation had shown the strength and the resilience to come together and support one another, though earlier he claimed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton vetoed plans for a joint statement alongside Liberal Senator James Paterson on Friday following the attack.

Mr Burns, whose office was subject to an arson attack in June, said he wanted to present a “united front” but Mr Dutton decided it was “more important to play partisan games” than allow his words, which he physically couldn’t speak, to be read out.

Inside the Adass Israel Synagogue after a firebombing. Picture: Supplied

Mr Paterson did not deny Mr Dutton’s intervention, but said he felt “very sorry” Mr Burns and his community had been abandoned by the Labor Party following the synagogue attack.

“It is not the role of a Liberal frontbencher to act as a spokesman for a Labor MP,” he said.

Meanwhile global Jewish human rights organisation, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, has issued a travel advisory for any Jews or Israelis considering travelling to Australia in light of the recent “patterns of violence against Jews”.

In a letter to Australia’s Ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, Rabbi Cooper said the centre was “not convinced” Jews were safe in Australia as the authorities “have failed to take necessary measures to protect Jewish communities from increasingly belligerent and violent targeting by Islamists and other extremists”.

Following the synagogue firebombing, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong raised concerns about a “devastating rise in anti-Semitism” in Australia, though she did not resile from Labor’s support of a UN resolution calling for a two-state solution that made no mention of freeing the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry spokeswoman, Simone Abel, said it was “deeply cynical” of Ms Wong to argue there was no double standard in Australia’s foreign policy towards Israel, while also taking “aim” at the country for defending its “very existence following an unprecedented attack on its civilian population”.

Originally published as Anthony Albanese calls for unity against anti-Semitism after Sydney, Melbourne incidents