Swastikas were graffitied onto a Sydney synagogue Friday, followed by similar graffiti on another synagogue in the city the following day. (Screenshot)
(JTA) — Two synagogues in Sydney were defaced on consecutive days with swastikas and other antisemitic language.
Police are investigating the attacks, which come at a time of heightened antisemitism in Australia, and about a month after a synagogue in Melbourne was torched in what the country’s leaders called an antisemitic attack. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the graffiti on Saturday morning.
“The vile graffiti we’ve seen overnight, including at the Newtown Synagogue, is abhorrent and needs to stop immediately,” he wrote on X. “Australia is a better place than this.”
On Friday, according to Australian reports, Southern Sydney Synagogue was graffitied in red and black with swastikas as well as the phrases “Hitler on top” and “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.” The following day, Saturday, the city’s Newtown Synagogue was likewise graffitied with red swastikas. And a house in Sydney was tagged with the phrase “F— Jews.”
Albanese noted in his statement that one year ago, Australia banned the use of Nazi symbols. The law followed the lead of many other countries and was enacted after the symbols had been seen at anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ rallies.
“We made it illegal to use Nazi and other hate symbols because there’s no place in Australia for antisemitism,” he wrote. “The people that committed these crimes should face the full force of the law.”
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