Authorities promise measures after anti -Semitic attack in Australia

Authorities promise measures after anti -Semitic attack in Australia

in Sydney, Australia, four vehicles and the former home of a Jewish community manager were smeared with anti -Semitic messages early Friday morning. Two cars were even set on fire. This new anti -Semitic attack was sharply condemned by the Australian authorities to assure the perpetrators "to be accountable".

background of the attack

The incident occurred in Dover Heights, one of the exclusive districts of Sydney, and is part of a series of over 100 incidents that are examined by the SPECIAL COMMission Operation Avalite. This task force was launched in December 2023 to counteract the increase in anti -Semitic attacks.

reactions of the authorities

The attacked building belonged to Alex Ryvchin, the co-managing director of the Executive Council of the Australian Jews (ECAJ). Ryvchin has repeatedly asked the government to do more against attacks on Jewish parishioners, especially since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

photos showed red color on the outer wall of the house, and on a car damaged by fire, the words "f *** Jews" were read. Ryvchin said that it was unclear whether his family was attacked in a targeted manner, but the choice of smearing this house was "a damn coincidence". The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in an interview that the attack is "against everything we stand for". He called for the tensions to be reduced in the community.

legal measures against hate crimes

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Tony Burke, joined the convicting votes of the government representatives and described the attack as "hate crime" with "serious criminal consequences". He also explained that the best authorities were busy finding the perpetrators and that nobody should think that the internationally fueled conflicts give them the right to commit hate crimes in Australia.

This assault takes place only a few days after red swastikas were sprayed on two synagogues in the suburbs of Allawah and Newtown in Sydney. The New South Wales police have determined two suspects who were seen on surveillance cameras outside the new synagogue and apparently tried to lay a fire.

Special investigations and increasing incidents

The wave of anti -Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne has caused the government to set up a special task force. On Thursday, Operation Avalite made her first charges against a 44-year-old man who allegedly spoken of murder threats against the Australian Jewish Association via social media.

A team of 20 civil servants and analysts, including terrorist investigators, currently examines numerous anti-Semitic attacks since October 2023, including an arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, which was badly damaged by fire in early December. This has led to a security check at Jewish schools and community centers.

call to unity against anti -Semitism

"No Australian should have to worry about whether he has to be afraid of hate crimes in his bed at night," said David Ossip, President of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, on Friday. Together with the NSW Minister of Police Yasmin Catley, he addressed a clear message to the perpetrators of the attack: "We will bring you to the route, we will find you and we will lock you up."

Chris Minns, the Prime Minister of the state, announced that laws will be reinforced in the coming month to protect places of worship, including the large synagogue in the center of Sydney. He emphasized the need to exacerbate laws against hate to combat anti -Semitism before leading to violence against synagogues and other religious sites.

social effects of the conflict

The military attacks in Israel on Gaza After the attack of Hamas on October 7, 2023, the divisions within Australian society deepened. Almost every weekend, thousands of Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are marching through Sydney since the beginning of the conflict to request an armistice. The Australian government has welcomed an agreement that provides a break in the fights in Gaza and could lead to a gradual release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

"The Australians want the conflict to end," said Albanese on Friday. "You want hostages to be released. You want people to be able to live in peace and security - whether Israelis or Palestinians. And you don't want conflicts to be brought to Australia."