Third neo-Nazi attack: Swastikas deface MP Julian Leeser’s campaign office

Jewish MP Julian Lesser’s campaign office has been targeted by a neo-Nazi hate crime — the third attack police are investigating.

Julian Leeser, MP for Berowra in Sydney's North, has had several of his campaign posters defaced overnight with Nazi Swastikas. The Jewish politician is distressed and angry about it. Picture: David Swift

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• Jewish MP Julian Leeser distressed after campaign posters defaced

Jewish MP Julian Leeser has expressed his dismay after his portraits were defaced by swastikas in three attacks.

Vandals plastered swastikas over the eyes on images of the Berowra Liberal member outside his Normanhurst campaign office at the weekend.

Mr Leeser said he received a message in the early hours of Sunday morning informing him of the hate crime.

Swastikas have been placed over the eyes of Berowra federal Liberal MP Julian Leeser in a campaign poster at his office in Normanhurst.

“This is incredibly distressing, it makes me feel sick,” he said.

“This type of hate crime is not part of the community or the Australia I know and to see the rise of these groups and this kind of activity is very sad.”

Mr Leeser said federal and NSW police were investigating the incident — the third in a series of targeted attacks.

“The course of the (federal election) campaign people of all backgrounds were attacked but the fact that this has occurred three times to me is heartbreaking,” he said.

“I have been involved in election campaigns since 2004 and it has always been civil I have never seen anything like this in our community or Australia.”

Liberal Member for Berowra, Julian Leeser MP, has had his posters in Normanhurst defaced with Nazi symbols and Hitler moustaches. Picture: Supplied

Other posters were also defaced.

Ku-ring-gai police crime prevention officer Senior Constable Colin Mitchell confirmed the vandalism occurred between Saturday and Sunday.

Snr const Mitchell said police were treating it as a possible hate crime and the words ‘antipodean resistance’ were left on the sign.

The Antipodean Resistance, a neo-Nazi hate group which appeared online in 2016, is known for inciting hatred and violence towards members of the Jewish community across Australia.

Mr Leeser described the group as a “vile neo-Nazi hate group, which has no place in Australia”.

The peak body for the Australia Jewish community, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, found a 60 per cent increase in anti Semitic activity across the country in the past 12 months in its latest report.

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