Victoria's Allan government responds to latest antisemitic attacks with new anti-hate taskforce
Multiple antisemitic incidents occurred across inner Melbourne on Friday night, including an alleged arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue.
On Sunday pro-Palestinian protesters chanted 'Death, death to the IDF'.
Premier Jacinta Allan has come under fire for failing to do more to combat antisemitism in Victoria. She has also been criticised for not yet visiting the East Melbourne synagogue which was firebombed on Friday night.
In response, Premier Allan has announced the creation of a new anti-hate taskforce, which is expected to meet for the first time this week.
The new taskforce will initially comprise the Premier, Police Minister Anthony Carbines, Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece, as well as police representatives, but membership is expected to grow over time with invitations reportedly being sent to representatives from Melbourne's Jewish community ahead of its first meeting.
Victoria Police announced on Sunday that a 34-year-old NSW man had been charged over the alleged arson attack on the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, which occurred while approximately 20 people were inside.
On the same evening, a group of around 20 people stormed a Jewish restaurant in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, overturning tables and chanting. And multiple offenders targeted cars outside an Israel-link business, spraying them with graffiti and setting two of the vehicles on fire.
Just two days after the incidents, pro-Palestine protesters gathered in Melbourne for the latest demonstration. While the demonstration was opened by a condemnation of the attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue, protesters were heard chanting 'dead, death to the IDF', while signs with the same slogan and 'Glory to the Martyrs' were also spotted.
Executive Council for Jewry President Daniel Aghion told Sky News Australia the weekend's events were 'quite traumatic' for the Jewish community, particularly since there were three quite different attacks had occurred on the one evening.
'That's quite concerning, because what it's telling us is that the hatred against the Australian Jewish community is widespread,' Mr Aghion said.
'We're not getting hit by one particular part ofthe community. We're getting hit by a number of different parts of the community with a number of different attitudes that are aggressively against the Australian Jewish community.'
The ECAJ President said the Gaza conflict was driving the growth of antisemitism, but there was also a 'shifting attitude' towards Israel.
'I think we are seeing a fundamentally different approach to Israel and Jews around the world,' he said
'Unfortunately, Australia has a particularly violent stream of antisemitism, but the general themes behind that antisemitism exist and are being experienced by our colleagues internationally.'
The ECAJ President said there had been 11 firebombing attacks against the Jewish community in Australia over the past 12 months, four of them in Melbourne and seven in Sydney.
'No country around the world... has any bombings of that nature, fire bombings to that level.
'Why that is, I don't know.'
Mr Aghion said the Taskforce was a 'great start' but words needed to be turned into action.
'We've seen strong responses, strong language from our political leaders over the weekend. That's a great start. Now we've got to turn from talk into action,' he said.
'What we've got to look for is a whole of community response… what needs to happen is there needs to be a sitting down in a very positive and collaborative and doing process with government to work through our government leads a whole of community response.
'This is not just about the Jewish community. This is not just about the politicians and government. This is an attack on the whole of Australia, and it needs a whole of community response.'
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