Pro-Hamas graffiti sprayed on billboard in Fitzroy on October 7 anniversary
Israel’s deputy foreign minister has joined former treasurer Josh Frydenberg in calling on the PM and Victorian Premier to do more to combat Jewish hate after chilling pro-terror graffiti was sprayed across Melbourne on the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
A billboard at a busy intersection and office building in Melbourne’s north have been vandalised with pro-terror graffiti on the day Melbourne’s Jewish community gathers to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel.
The words “Glory to Hamas” were painted on a billboard above a building on the corner of Alexandra Parade and Brunswick St in Fitzroy.
Hamas — a designated terror organisation in Australia — perpetrated the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel in which more than 1200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage while many slept in their homes or partied at a music festival.
More anti-Semitic graffiti could be seen on the side of an Officeworks in Fitzroy on Alexandra Parade early Tuesday morning.
Phrases including “Oct 7, do it again”, “Glory to the martyrs” and “Free Palestine” were daubed on the outside wall of the stationery shop.
Painters have since attended the site to cover up the graffiti.
Israel lashes Allan and Albanese over attacks
Israel’s deputy foreign minister has lashed both Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after pro-Hamas graffiti appeared on a Melbourne billboard.
Sharren Haskel took to social media on Tuesday to demand the leaders take swift action over the anti-Semitic attack.
“Get your country in order, stop the Jew-hate,” she said.
“What the hell is this billboard doing in Melbourne? Don’t you have hate crimes?
‘You have a police force, right? Take this down immediately. What on earth is wrong with Australia?”
My message to Australian leaders @AlboMP and @JacintaAllanMP on the second anniversary of October 7, the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, is get your country in order, stop the Jew-hate. What the hell is this billboard doing in Melbourne? Don’t you have hate crimes?… pic.twitter.com/sDVbM7XDXE
— Sharren Haskel השכל שרן (@SharrenHaskel) October 7, 2025
‘Do something now’: Frydenberg blasts PM
The nation’s political leaders expressed outrage at the vandalism, with both the Prime Minister and Victorian Premier slamming it.
Anthony Albanese said the “terrorist propaganda” defacing the billboard was “abhorrent”.
“The people responsible must face the full force of the law. The AFP will work with Victorian Police to bring them to justice,” he said.
Jacinta Allan said the graffiti was “even more hateful on a day where we stand in support of a Jewish community that is grieving the second anniversary of the single biggest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust”.
“It does not represent our great multicultural society … indeed, it represents the exact opposite,” she said.
Ms Allan also extended personal support “to the Jewish community and everyone in our Victorian community today, who is also feeling the grief of that loss of life, who is also feeling grief at conflict, and continues to support peace and multiculturalism in this state”.
Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg called on the PM and Premier to take a harder line against raging anti-Semitism.
“On this day, the second anniversary of Hamas’ horrific October 7 attack, we have Australians openly supporting terrorism on Melbourne’s streets,” Mr Frydenberg said in a post on X.
“These extremists do it because they are allowed to get away with it. Prime Minister and Premier, do something now! Whatever you think you have done, it’s not enough and it’s clearly not working.
“Stop the violence. Stop the hate. Save our state and save our country from this descent into darkness. We, Victorians and Australians, deserve better.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Chief Alex Ryvchin said the glorification of October 7 in Victoria was despicable but unsurprising.
“There is a very ugly streak of hatred that runs through this country,” he said.
“While I firmly believe that the vast majority of Australians are decent and peaceful people and abhor this sort of thing, there are also those among us who revel in violence, who support terrorism and who support anti-Semitism.
“This is a shocking expression of that and a timely reminder of the work that we all have to do as a society to eradicate this hatred and rebuild.”
On this day, the second anniversary of Hamas’ horrific October 7 attack, we have Australians openly supporting terrorism on Melbourne’s streets.
— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) October 6, 2025
These extremists do it because they are allowed to get away with it.
Prime Minister and Premier, do something now!
Whatever you… pic.twitter.com/BcQz4dC4VN
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles slammed the act as “deeply disgraceful”.
“This day can only be one thing, and that is a day of commemoration and remembrance,” he told ABC Melbourne radio.
“It’s a deeply solemn day, and to have that message scrawled in that way is obviously disgraceful, and we need to be a society which is cohesive, which looks out for each other, and that is obviously a message of division.”
Mr Marles said he expected police probes to look into whether incident would be treated as an act of terrorism by authorities.
“Hamas is a terrorist organisation,” he said.
“Hamas was responsible for the terror attack which occurred two years ago on this day, in which 1200 innocent people lost their lives … a message of that kind scrawled on this day is deeply disgraceful.”
Federal Opposition leader Sussan Ley said the “hateful graffiti” was “deeply disturbing” and called on the nation’s intelligence agency to support the police in tracking down the offenders.
“Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia — supporting them is not free speech, it is a crime,” she said.
“Those responsible must face the full force of the law.”
“Victorians deserve to feel safe in their own community. The AFP and ASIO should support Victorian Police to track down those behind this disgraceful act and bring them to justice.
“Hate has no place on our streets.”
Victorian Opposition leader Brad Battin said Melbourne was witnessing “the celebration of a terrorist organisation”.
“All Victorians should feel sick because I know I do,” he said.
“We have seen the effective praising of a terrorist attack … I have met with communities that have been impacted by those horrific events that were seen on TV on October 7.
“When we see graffiti that says this should happen again, that sends shivers down my spine.”
Mr Battin said it was the government’s responsibility to ensure “this kind of behaviour never happens”.
“One hundred or more protests with signs effectively supporting Hamas over the last two years has allowed this behaviour to continue and grow, and the outcome of that is fear within the Jewish community,” he said.
Graffiti glorifying a terrorist organisation has no place in our community.
— Brad Battin MP (@BradBattinMP) October 7, 2025
On this day especially, it’s disgraceful.
I stand with Victoria’s Jewish community and remember those who lost their lives in the October 7 attacks.
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said the plan to hold a pro-Palestine protest on the second anniversary of October 7 made clear why Victoria needed to follow the lead of other states by implementing a protest permits system.
“This is not the day to be protesting, It should be the day for everyone to come together and support a community that is gutted,” he said.
“We don’t want Melbourne to become Manchester, this should be a wake up call to everybody.”
Pro-Palestine demonstrations on October 7
The vandalism comes as pro-Palestine activists gathered in Melbourne.
About 100 protesters rallied at MPavilion, across the road from the National Gallery of Victoria just after 5pm, flanked on all sides by police.
One attendee in the crowd wore a shirt that read “death, death to the IDF.”
The Free Palestine Coalition Group urged people to gather near the NGV, an institution previously targeted by anti-Israel protesters due to its association with prominent Jewish family the Gandels.
The rally was called “Honouring Palestine — 7 October Vigil”.
Organisers of the march described October 7 as a “large-scale assault” by Hamas fighters.
They instructed those attending not to bring signs, posters or flags and not to speak to the media.
Ms Allan and Mr Albanese have both condemned the planned protests.
“Behaving this way on the anniversary of the biggest single loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust is deeply inappropriate,” Ms Allan said.
Jewish community gathers on Oct 7 anniversary
Melbourne’s Jewish community on Tuesday gathered to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
Hundreds of people came together at 6.29am on Tuesday at the Goldstone Gallery in Collingwood for a vigil marking exactly two years since the Nova music festival massacre.
A loud siren, followed by a minute’s silence, marked the exact moment two years ago that Hamas opened fire on the festival in Israel.
Members of the Jewish community wept and shared their collective sorrow as Holocaust survivors and family members of October 7 victims spoke to the crowd.
Goldstone Gallery co-founder Nina Sanadze opened an exhibition to commemorate the victims of October 7.
Called “October 7: Atrocity, anti-Semitism and Resilience”, Ms Sanadze said the exhibition was “non political and solely dedicated to the truth”.
“It documents October 7 and the surge of anti-Semitism that followed, through the narratives, testimonies and factual records.
“Nearly two years on, these events are too often forgotten, distorted or denied.
“This exhibition is about rehumanising Jewish and Israeli people through person stories and lived experiences.”
Shadow police minister David Southwick told the event it’s time “the hostages are brought home”.
“We’ve seen two years of hate being brought here since October 7 — synagogues firebombed and businesses targeted,” he said.
“Nobody can take the truth away from us.”
“If there is any shining light on October 7, is how it has unified us as a community. Whether you are religious or not religious, we’ve come together.”
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