Police reveal identity of man charged over East Melbourne Synagogue fire

Sydney Morning Herald

14 hours ago

A group of about 20 people, some masked and wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, entered the CBD Israeli restaurant, Miznon, at 8.15pm.
They shouted offensive chants, scuffling with staff and knocking over tables, before police arrived and arrested one man.
Footage from the Miznon incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, which is part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza.
A police source, who cannot be identified speaking about operational matters, said at least one of those who invaded the restaurant was part of a group known to counter-terrorism police for sometimes organising left-wing protests that turned violent.
Victoria Police declined to comment on the identity of the person or the nature of the groups involved .
A police spokesperson said investigations were ongoing into the incident at Miznon.
Police are also investigating a third incident, where three cars were set on fire and the wall of a business in Melbourne's north-east was spray-painted with graffiti against the Israeli military about 4.30am on Saturday.
The vandalised business, Lovitt Technologies Australia, on Para Road in Greensborough, is a weapons company with links to Israel and had previously been targeted by protesters opposing the Israeli military. The business was contacted for comment.
Police condemn string of incidents
No one was injured in any of the incidents and none were deemed terrorism, but Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan said on Saturday that officers would investigate the motives of those involved.
'The investigation is under the security investigation unit, who is part of our counterterrorism command. The security investigation unit investigates matters of communal violence,' Dunstan said.
'We do recognise that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent, but at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident. In the course of our investigation, we will examine the intent and the ideology of the persons involved or person to determine if this is, in fact, terrorism.'
Dunstan alleged that the three incidents all had 'inferences of antisemitism' or anti-Israel protest activity, but investigators had yet to find a connection between them.
'We are taking all three incidents incredibly seriously. There's no place in Australia for hatred or discrimination of any kind, and we condemn it.'
In addition to the significant police presence in the CBD for Sunday's pro-Palestine protests, officers are providing proactive patrols in the areas around the attacks.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan both condemned the attacks on Saturday.
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'Antisemitism has no place in Australia,' Albanese said. 'Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law, and my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort.'
Allan said: 'This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards. That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent.'
Restaurant targeted after calls for boycott
About the same time the synagogue was set alight on Friday night, police said a splinter group of about 20 people broke off from a larger anti-police protest in Melbourne's CBD and walked to the Israeli restaurant on Hardware Lane, where they shouted offensive chants.
An independent photographer at the scene said the group asked patrons why they were giving money to the restaurant.
The group chanted 'death to the IDF' and 'Miznon out of Melbourne', the photographer said.
Pro-Palestine protesters have been calling for a boycott of Miznon after it emerged that one of its part-owners, Israeli entrepreneur Shahar Segal, is also a spokesman for the controversial aid group Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
This week, the Associated Press reported that American contractors were using live ammunition and stun grenades to guard Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites while hungry Palestinians scrambled for food.
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Nina Sanadze, a Jewish gallery owner and friend of Miznon's owners, went straight to the restaurant after receiving a call on Friday night.
When she arrived, police had blocked the street and Miznon staff were sweeping away broken glass and remnants of tomatoes thrown at the windows.
Inside, Sanadze said, staff were 'hugging, crying and shaking'. 'It was a very, very scary experience.'
Sanadze said that when the group arrived, the restaurant's managers tried to 'step in and push the protesters out', directing customers to the back of the restaurant.
'It was hard for customers to do anything,' she said. 'I think the brawl broke out because people were actually trying to stand up and say, 'go away'.'
After closing the doors, Miznon managers apologised to their shaken staff for the ordeal and carried on with their usual Friday tradition of Shabbat, lighting candles, singing Jewish songs and eating challah.
'We were not in the mood to eat, it was more of a thing of tradition and resilience to stand together,' Sanadze said.
Sanadze emphasised that Miznon's workers were a mix of nationalities and that the restaurant 'has nothing to do with the [Israeli Defence Forces] or anyone over there'.
A 28-year-old person from Footscray was arrested 'for hindering police and has been released on summons' over the restaurant incident, police said.
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Dunstan said there was not enough evidence to arrest anyone else, but the identities of those involved had been recorded as investigations continued and police combed social media and CCTV footage.
Incidents follow string of attacks
The 'death to the IDF' chant was also heard in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall during last Sunday's regular anti-Israel protest, and shouted from the Glastonbury stage in the UK by rap duo Bob Vylan in its controversial performance.
The attack follows the firebombing in December that gutted the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. Counterterrorism police later revealed that the attack involved 'criminals for hire' and a known underworld getaway car, but have yet to rule terrorism in or out.
Dunstan did not have further information on that investigation.
In a separate incident last month, vandals targeted a historic synagogue in South Yarra.
Attackers used red paint to scrawl 'free Palestine' and 'Iran is da bomb', set inside the outline of a nuclear mushroom cloud, on the heritage-listed synagogue.