‘Under attack’: MP’s emotional moment after cars torched, properties vandalised in anti-Semitic attack in Sydney’s east

Emotional scenes have broken out following an anti-Semitic attack where cars were set alight and properties vandalised.

Sydney’s eastern suburbs community have been left feeling “vulnerable and under attack” after cars were set alight and properties vandalised in an anti-Semitic attack.

Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane said she’d spoken to people who were in tears on Wednesday morning.

“People are both deeply upset and emotional, and there are people in tears that I’ve spoken to this morning,” Ms Sloane said according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

A car was set alight. Picture: Supplied

Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloane said locals felt ‘under attack’. Picture: NewsWire / Rohan Kelly

The emotional MP said there had been a “pattern of intimidation and hatred”, with the community left to feel as though they were “under attack”.

“There are also people expressing incredible anger, anger that this continues to happen,” she said.

Emergency services responded to reports of a car fire on Magney St in Woollahra about 1am on Wednesday.

Fire and Rescue NSW managed to extinguish the fire; however, the car was vandalised along with two buildings, the footpath along Magney St and another car.

The words “Kill Israiel” were scrawled on a wall behind a torched red car.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said police believe the car was stolen.

“It has been severely damaged by fire, so there’s certainly a task ahead for our forensic officers to determine what the vehicle is and any information we can get from the vehicle,” Ms Webb said.

“We believe it was stolen.”

Police wish to speak with two people aged between 15 and 20 years of age believed to have been in the vicinity at the time.

They’re described as of slim build, wearing face coverings and dark clothing.

Anyone with information has been urged to come forward.

Anti-Semitic graffiti was also found on Magney St in Woollahra. Picture: Rohan Kelly.

“CHANGES TO THE LAW”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he wouldn’t rule out legislation changes after an anti-Semitic attack in Sydney’s eastern suburbs left cars set alight and properties vandalised with anti-Israel slogans.

Mr Minns said he wouldn’t be “closing the door to changes to the law”.

“Australia doesn’t have the free speech laws that are in place in America and for one very important reason, because we have developed a multicultural community where it doesn’t matter what your faith or your religion is, you must live side-by-side with your neighbour in peace,” Mr Minns said.

“If we need laws in place to protect what has been built over multiple decades and make sure that people feel safe in Australia, that’s what we’ll do.

“We cannot have a situation where we are importing conflicts around the world onto the streets of Sydney and saying, ‘Well, it’s just inevitable because something happened on the other side of the world’.

“That’s not going to be the case in Australia, and frankly, the way we hold our community together can’t rest on the worst, the baddest faith actor in our community, acting up and then all of us turning a blind eye.

“Multiculturalism will not survive like that.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns called the attack ‘shocking’. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

SAME LEVEL OF RESOURCES AS OCTOBER 7

Mr Minns also confirmed NSW Police would employ “the same level of resources that were in place on October 7” following the “violent act of destruction”.

“I want to make it clear that these are shocking crimes,” Mr Minns said.

“Of course we’re concerned and worried about it, but we also need to put forward a very strong message to the Jewish community of NSW that 99 per cent of Australians that live in this state are behind you.

“They’re appalled by this behaviour, they are appalled by these crimes, and they stand with the Jewish community of NSW.”

Emergency services were called to the scene about 1am Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire

Ms Webb said police would be door knocking and increase patrols.

“That means there will be community engagement, prevention response into all matters reported to us, but importantly, engaging with the community,” Ms Webb said.

“What happened last night is disgusting, and there’s no place for hate of this nature in Sydney or anywhere in Australia.

“And we will be using all our resources to investigate this matter.”

Ms Webb said preventing similar events was “going to take everyone”.

“It’s not a policing response,” she said.

“We need people, we need families to have discussions with their children, their young ones.

“(The) whole of community to say ‘This is not on, it’s not acceptable to use violence or damage property’.

“If there’s hate, then you can’t express your hate by hurting other people and damaging property. That is not acceptable in Sydney, in NSW.”

Mr Minns also said he couldn’t promise anti-Semitism would “end tomorrow”.

“It would be irresponsible as premier of NSW to promise an end to this,” he said.

“I think that there are actions that we can take today from a law enforcement approach as well as a civic society approach to condemn the attacks, to mitigate it in our community, and do our best to stop it wherever it eventuates.

“But I’m not going to lie about it, there’s some bad people that exist in our community.”

Police talked to local residents on Wednesday morning. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

‘HATE IN THEIR HEART’

Mr Minns earlier said “clearly we have people in our community with hate in their heart” as he condemned the “shocking anti-Semitic hate crimes”.

He said the “worst conflicts from around the world” couldn’t be brought onto Australian streets.

“This is not just a random act of vandalism on a Sydney street. This is a targeted attack at the Jewish community in the eastern suburbs,” Mr Minns said on Today.

“We need to call it for what it is, and that is anti-Semitism, an attack on the basic principles of what’s been built up in Australia for many, many decades.

“It doesn’t matter what race or religion you come from, we want to live side-by-side with each other in peace, and we cannot have a situation where we’re importing the worst conflicts from around the world onto the streets of Australia.

“That means that we need to take action to defend what’s been built up over decades in this country.”

Graffiti was sprayed onto the walls of properties in Woollahra. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

He said the attack would be “particularly distressing” for Holocaust survivors and noted Australia had the second highest number of Holocaust survivors per capita in the world.

He also emphasised that the vast majority of Australians “hate this kind of violence” and were “with the Jewish community this morning”.

“The Jewish community may feel isolated, certainly unsafe,” he said.

“I want them to know that your average Australian, 99 per cent of them, regard this as disgraceful and will stand up against it, and that the Australian community is with the Jewish community.”

‘NOT THE SYDNEY WE WANT’

He earlier said this was “not the Sydney we want”.

“Shocking images of this anti-Semitic attack in Woollahra this morning,” Mr Minns said.

“This is not the Sydney we want. These racist attempts to divide our city won’t work.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the attack. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Minns said he would speak with police on Wednesday morning.

“They will be found and they will face the full force of the law,” he said

He said he was concerned following the incident.

“It is a worry,” he told ABC radio.

“We have to have zero tolerance for people who want to rip apart our community.”

The Prime Minister earlier slammed the incident as an “outrage”.

“The incident in Sydney is an outrage and another anti-Semitic attack,” Mr Albanese said.

“I will be briefed by AFP Operation Avalite officials this morning.

“I stand with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn this attack.

“There is no place for hatred or anti-Semitism in our community.”

Cars were vandalised with anti-Israel graffiti in Woollahra on November 21. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

‘F**K Israel’ was scrawled across cars and properties. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park also called the incident “shocking and offensive” on ABC Radio Sydney.

“It’s not the city that we want,” Mr Park said.

“It’s concerning. Very, very concerning.”

JEWISH COMMUNITY ‘OUTRAGED, APPALLED’

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the Jewish community had again woken to “scenes of terror and devastation”.

“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,” Mr Ryvchin said.

“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.”

An apartment building was vandalised. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip called the incident “another attack on the Jewish community and on the fabric of our society”.

“We are outraged, appalled and deeply saddened at this morning’s anti-Semitic attack in Woollahra,” Mr Ossip said.

“We will soon attend a briefing with the Premier and the NSW Police Commissioner but 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”.

“Those who incite hate and violence against the Jewish community … must face the full force of the law,” he said.

“The sustained campaign of terror, intimidation and harassment directed at the Jewish community is a national crisis and we need swift action in response.”

Mr Ossip also issued a message to “the perpetrators and all who wish ill on the Jewish community”.

“The Jewish community is strong, it is proud, it is united,” he said.

Local resident Eitan Franklin said “enough is enough”, claiming “authorities, police and politicians need to step up and actually do something”.

“Currently there’s all talk … perpetrators have to be brought to justice and need to be exposed,” Mr Franklin said.

The Chiswick restaurant was also damaged. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper.

The Orthodox practising Jewish man said while he didn’t represent the larger Jewish community, he was concerned following the attack.

“We cannot let our emotions get the better of us here and we need to ensure that this is actually dealt with in the right manner and the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he said.

It follows a similar incident in November when cars were covered in white spray paint that read “f**k Israel” in Woollahra.

The door of a unit complex in Ocean St had also been graffitied, police said, while the windows of Sydney’s famed Chiswick restaurant were also targeted in the attack, with the words “f**k Israel” scrawled across them.

In addition to anti-Israel slogans, cars were graffitied with a message reading “PKK coming”.

It appeared to be a reference to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is considered by Australia to be a terrorist organisation.

NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said police didn’t believe Tuesday’s attack was related to the November attack, but police would be “keeping an open mind”.