New South Wales Police have launched an investigation into an antisemitic slogan found spray-painted on a car in the Queens Park neighborhood of eastern Sydney on Monday.
The offensive phrase, “F*** the Jews,” was scrawled in large black letters on the side of a white car.
Sydney. Again. Another suburb with a large Jewish community and multiple Jewish communal facilities. No one just vandalises a car with a racist slogan. It is the product of endless incitement, demonisation and a belief that such attitudes are freely permitted, even celebrated. pic.twitter.com/KPxRTpf1bK
— Alex Ryvchin (@AlexRyvchin) January 5, 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denounced the act.
Speaking at a press conference, Albanese emphasized that the hatred of Jews has no place in Australia. “Antisemitism is a scourge, and any incident targeting individuals because of who they are goes against the Australian values I hold dear and that Australians cherish,” he stated.
While Queens Park is known for its significant Jewish community, the car’s owner, Stuart Veron, is not Jewish. Veron described the vandalism as “madness” and “disgusting,” calling the perpetrator a “rat” and noting he felt “unlucky” his car had been targeted, according to ABC News. “My neighbors—they’d be disgusted. There’s no place for this in this community or anywhere in Australia,” he said.
David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, expressed sorrow and outrage over the incident. “It is unacceptable that Jewish Australians, and Australians of all backgrounds, must once again confront such hateful messages in their neighborhoods,” he said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has confirmed that additional police have been deployed to address a worrying increase in antisemitic incidents. According to SBS News, he stated that high-visibility patrols and community engagement efforts are being stepped up to ensure safety.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the torching of a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, and suggested that the antisemitic act was inextricably linked to the Labor government in Canberra’s “extreme anti-Israelism.”
“The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the U.N. resolution calling on Israel ‘to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible,’ and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country,” he continued, adding, “Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism.”
