Premier Chris Minns issues fresh warning in anti-Semitic crime wave as accelerant used to burn Newtown Synagogue

Premier Chris Minns has issued a stern warning after an escalation in anti-Semitic crime in the New South Wales. The premier spoke to reporters on Sunday morning after anti-Semitic graffiti appeared on a synagogue in the inner suburb of Newtown. An arson attempt was also made on the synagogue. During the press conference it was revealed an accelerant may have been used. Mr Minns said the escalation was “very concerning, not just for the Jewish community but for the wider community”. “We are of course appalled to see anti-Semitic crime on the streets of Sydney, in NSW there is never any justification for this kind of racist, anti-Semitic targeted attack on members of our community,” he said. Police believe two people on bicycles attended Newtown Synagogue about 4.25am, spray painting the fence and building before also trying to set fire to the premises. Police commissioner Karen Webb said the fire didn’t take hold, and self-extinguished within minutes. “An accelerant of some type has been used, and that is an escalation in the level of criminality as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “It’s senseless. I don’t know what motivates people.” The vandalism of Newtown Synagogue came just a day after swastikas were sprayed on Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah early on Friday. The investigation into both incidents are ongoing, with Mr Minns saying police have “very clear” vision of the Allawah perpetrators. “There is someone out there in the community who knows who this person is,” he said, urging community members to report information to Crime Stoppers. Mr Minns said in the coming weeks he would be looking at vilification and hate laws in the state. “When we have incidents like this that are clearly racist, that are clearly designed to target one group over another, community knows no quarter will be given,” he said. “There’s been a massive escalation in anti-Semitic hate crime in Australia over the last twelve months.” “This is not tolerable for anyone that lives in NSW. People come to Australia to practice their religion, to be part of their community free of persecution and free of attack, it’s the government and police’s responsibility to protect those institutions,” he said. The vandalism incidents in Allawah and Newtown are both being investigated by multiple levels of police, including local resources, state crime and the counter-terrorism command. Commissioner Webb said the incident is not currently being considered as terrorism, but the counter-terrorism community cohesion and hate crime units are investigating. “Whether it’s terrorism or not, this is a crime. This is not just hate, this is a criminal act,” she said. “I appeal to anyone out there who knows who has perpetrated these disgusting offences to come forward and tell police who they are. We will continue pursuing them until we find them.” Anti-Semitic incidents have spiked in Australia over the last year, including the burning of Addas Israel synagogue in Melbourne late last year. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) found a 316 per cent increase in reported Anti-Semitic incidents in the 12 months following October 7 2023, when an attack on Israel by militant group Hamas killed 1200 people and took hundreds more hostage into Gaza. In the ensuing conflict between Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Hamas, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed and 1.9m displaced in what the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is calling a “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Gaza. In Australia, the ongoing conflict has resulted in increased domestic tensions in what ECAJ research director Julie Nathan describes as “open season against local Jewish communities too, who overwhelmingly support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself”. “If it was thought that anti-Jewish racism was a thing of the past and defeated, the last 12 months has shown that it has been cynically reactivated and stoked for political purposes,” she said.