A warning: this next story includes vision of Nazi symbols. Counter-terrorism police are investigating all antisemitic incidents in New South Wales, Australia, following a weekend graffiti attack and an arson attempt at a synagogue in Sydney’s inner west.
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00:00Just behind me here, this synagogue here was actually the site on early hours of Saturday
00:07morning of both graffiti, where we saw several swastikas spray painted on its front gates
00:13as well as a clear liquid, according to the police commissioner, Karen Webb, which was
00:17dispersed around the area and set alight.
00:19Now exactly what accelerant it was isn't as clear, but we know that this fire started
00:24and then a short time after, about three minutes later, it went out, it extinguished itself
00:29without anyone needing to put it out.
00:31Now police were able to attend the scene thereafter and have commenced their investigations.
00:36We know they've escalated now because of the involvement of counter-terrorism police, not
00:40just as part of the investigation, but actually leading the investigation.
00:44Elsewhere separately, 24 hours prior to that, in southern Sydney, in Allawa, at the southern
00:49Sydney synagogue, there was another incident where we saw about a dozen swastikas spray
00:55painted right across the vicinity and the walls of the synagogue, as well as the invocation
00:59of Hitler and some really heinous and anti-Semitic things said about Jews as a group of people.
01:05Now that was removed and CCTV was also collected from that scene.
01:09It's now been determined that a duo at Allawa in southern Sydney on Friday morning, as well
01:14as a duo separate to them in Newtown on Saturday morning, are now persons of interest that
01:19the police want to speak to.
01:21So four people in total that police wish to speak to in relation to these incidents.
01:27Separate to both of those though, we've seen another incident in Hamilton in the suburbs
01:31in Newcastle, where a 47-year-old man was charged with two offences after allegedly
01:36spray painting a pharmacy with a Nazi symbol.
01:39He is facing the Newcastle local court today on those matters.
01:43He was refused bail yesterday after the incident as well and will be fronting court today.
01:48And Myles, broadly, how is the community feeling about these?
01:54It's a real state of alarm, Mel, and that's both from Jewish bodies representing people
01:58as well as politicians.
01:59We've heard the Premier Chris Bins describe these incidents as hate crimes, as well as
02:03the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
02:06Michelle Goldman from the Jewish Board of Deputies spoke to the ABC earlier this morning
02:10and spoke about the need for there to be strong deterrence through legal enforcement and through
02:15these investigations to ensure that people are brought to account for these anti-Semitic
02:20attacks.
02:21Unfortunately, too few people who have been involved in these hateful acts have been caught
02:28and punished, and that is the number one priority here, to make sure that they can be prosecuted
02:34more easily.
02:37So that's Michelle Goldman there from the Jewish Board of Deputies, who have received
02:40a grant from the Government of New South Wales for about $340,000.
02:45That is all part to protect sites that could be at risk, including synagogues, as well
02:50as Jewish schools and other places that Jewish leadership believe could be targeted in these
02:56kind of anti-Semitic incidents.
02:58We've also seen earlier incidents late last year, Mel, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney,
03:03which tend to have higher populations of Jewish people as well, and Jewish worshippers.
03:08As a result, the Government really on alert already.
03:11We do see the establishment of the New South Wales Police Unit Operation Shelter.
03:15They are actually already stationed at these sites and working around the clock, essentially,
03:20to ensure sites like this synagogue here don't get targeted.
03:23Indeed, in southern Sydney, at Aloha, that synagogue there, police were patrolling that
03:28synagogue before it got targeted.
03:30So there is already a vigilant campaign, though there is more action now with this money flowing.
03:35It's clearly something that's caught the ire of not only the Premier, but also federal
03:39politician and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who described these acts as divisive and doing
03:45nothing to create unity and harmony in what has otherwise been a peaceful society in Australia.