By Jessica McSweeney, Penry Buckley and Riley Walter
Two men wearing masks and hoodies have been captured on CCTV running from the scene of an eastern suburbs vandalism attack in which a ute was set on fire, multiple cars damaged and Matt Moran’s Chiswick restaurant graffitied with anti-Israel messages.
Police estimate the damage bill from the incident in Woollahra overnight at $70,000 for the cars and between $20,000 and $30,000 for three buildings. Ten cars were vandalised in addition to the burnt ute, while another car was damaged by the fire.
Fire and Rescue NSW were called just after midnight on Wednesday to Wellington Street, where they extinguished the burning ute. When police arrived, they discovered cars on Wellington, Ocean, Tara and Fullerton streets had been vandalised with spray paint. Multiple cars parked outside Chiswick restaurant were also targeted.
Chiswick restaurant was vandalised with white graffiti reading “f--- Israel” sprayed on its windows.
Restaurateur Matt Moran condemned the vandalism of his premises.Credit: Trent van der Jagt
Moran told the Herald the graffiti had been cleaned up on Thursday morning, and staff were preparing for regular service.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to see this amount of vandalism – there’s no place for it in our community,” he said.
“We are co-operating with the relevant authorities in their investigation.”
Some cars were also daubed with anti-Israel graffiti, while others were tagged “PKK is coming” – a possible reference to the Kurdish separatist group of the same name, which is classified as a terrorist organisation in Australia. PKK – also known as the Kurdish Worker’s Party – has been involved in conflict with Turkey, where it has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in 2010 and a roadside explosion in 2019. The Turkish consulate is near to where the cars were vandalised on Ocean Street.
The Wolper Jewish Hospital and the Emanuel Synagogue are also nearby.
Police would only describe the graffiti as being of “of a political nature”.
Detective acting Superintendent Adam Solah said they had identified two alleged offenders after CCTV footage captured them running away from Wellington Street after the vehicle fire. He described them as wearing dark clothing, face masks and hooded tops, one of which had white Nike branding across the front.
Police are investigating whether the vandalism was targeted at nearby buildings, including the Turkish and other consulates, and the Emanuel Synagogue, but said the cars appeared to be hit at random.
Solah said the graffiti referencing the PKK was a key line of inquiry, and police would treat any potential hate crime seriously following a series of incidents in the eastern suburbs.
“We’re trying to determine the motivation for the offensive graffiti. NSW Police won’t tolerate any form of hate crime or behaviour that’s offensive to the local community,” he said.
A staff member at the Turkish consulate confirmed two police officers spoke to staff about 12.30am on Thursday. He said consulate workers had not been aware of the attack, but had since shared CCTV footage with NSW Police.
The door of a unit complex on Ocean Street was also sprayed with anti-Israel graffiti.
‘Deeply troubling’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the images as “disturbing and deeply troubling to all Australians”.
Nearby apartment buildings were also vandalised. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
“There is no place for antisemitism in Australia. Conflict overseas cannot be made a platform for prejudice at home.”
His comments were echoed by NSW Premier Chris Minns, who labelled the incident a deplorable “antisemitic attack”.
“It is unacceptable, un-Australian, and it will not be tolerated,” he said.
The incident is an escalation after multiple instances of anti-Israel vandalism in the area, Kellie Sloane, the state Liberal member for Vaucluse, said.
“The eastern suburbs has endured ongoing acts of vandalism, hate and abuse since [Hamas attacks on Israel on] October 7 [2023]. This escalation is deeply troubling.”
‘This hateful criminal activity is not welcome anywhere in Australia, and it is very distressing and worrying.’
Woollahra Mayor Sarah Swan
Michael Stiles, 69, a resident of Tara Street, was woken by police about 1am to be told his car had been vandalised with “PKK coming” graffiti.
Stiles said he didn’t see or hear anything during the night, but he was aware the PKK was recognised as a terrorist organisation.
“Whether it was just kids using PKK as a cover, I don’t know,” he said.
Woollahra Mayor Sarah Swan encouraged witnesses to provide police with footage they might have, describing the incident as “very distressing and worrying”.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has reported a string of anti-Israel and antisemitic graffiti in the eastern suburbs in the past 12 months, including the word “Hamas” being painted on buildings.
“The anti-Israel movement has been growing progressively more extreme, more violent and more indifferent to who it harms,” co-chief executive of the ECAJ Alex Ryvchin said.
David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said the incident was the latest in a “campaign of intimidation and harassment” towards the Jewish community.
The Federation of Democratic Kurdish Society labelled the vandalism an act of “barbarity”.
“The Kurdish nation has a historical bond with the Jewish nation and we support our Jewish community during this difficult moment,” the federation said in a statement.
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