Police launch investigation into three separate anti-Semitic graffiti attacks across Sydney’s east
NSW Police are investigating three new anti-Semitic vandalism attacks across Sydney’s east, including offensive graffiti found near a Jewish primary school in Maroubra.
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Police are investigating three separate anti-Semitic vandalism attacks across Sydney’s east, including graffiti found near a Jewish primary school in Maroubra.
Eastern Beaches Police Area Command received reports of offensive graffiti at two locations in Maroubra and Eastgardens around 6.45am on Thursday, while South Sydney Police Area Command was alerted to another incident in Eastlakes about 7am.
Targeted messages calling for violence toward the Jewish community was spray painted at the entrance of Eastgardens shopping centre, greeting shoppers driving into the level three car park. The site of the vandalism has been declared a crime scene, with police officers guarding the wall which has now been covered up.
The latest attack comes just hours after The Daily Telegraph revealed a caravan laden with explosives had been discovered in the city’s north.
Pressed by 2GB’s Mark Levy on the need for 24/7 patrols, Police Commissioner Karen Webb defended the current policing approach, underlining the challenge of constant surveillance.
“We have been conducting over 300 patrols every night. We can’t be outside every place at every minute of the day. What we know is that our investment is in tracking these people down, and that’s the work ahead of us now,” she said.
One of the sites targeted was a property adjacent to Mount Sinai College, a Jewish primary school in Maroubra. It is just metres from the Only About Children childcare centre, which was firebombed in an anti-Semitic incident earlier this month.
Jewish Board of Deputies President David Ossip condemned the attack near the school as “grotesque.”
“It is grotesque and sickening that schoolchildren are going to have to walk past this repellent hate speech on their way into school this morning,” he said.
“Whether it’s a daycare centre or a school, these depraved individuals will leave no target untouched in their determination to intimidate and menace the Jewish community.
“These hate-filled individuals are determined to destroy the peaceful and harmonious way of life that Australians have treasured for so long.”
The incident is just 230-metres from the remaining shell of the Only About Children Childcare Centre on Storey St, which was firebombed on January 21.
Security and teaching staff arrived at Mount Sinai College, a Jewish Orthodox primary school in Maroubra on Thursday morning, and found the hate speech.
The staff worked in a hasty effort to cover the hate speech with butchers paper, in a bid to shield parents and children during drop off.
An executive of the school board said the college had significantly increased their security measures following last week’s firebombing.
“We increased police patrols and we’ve had additional security guard from our community organisation, but it’s still happened.”
“We will have to sit down with the police and government because clearly it’s not enough,” he said
“It’s the usual stuff, hate speech very focused on Jews, I’ve had messages just streaming in from parents.”
The teaching executive said despite the attack, the school term would go back as normal tomorrow.
An elderly neighbour, who has lived next door to Mount Sinai for 50 years, said he was woken up just after 11pm to the sound of “cracking”.
“I didn’t want to go outside, I didn’t want to walk in case something happened,”
“I’ve been here 50 years and only in the last few months has this sort of thing happened.”
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