Swastikas graffitied on Synagogue in Sydney’s south early this morning

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A warning this next story includes images of a Nazi symbol. Police are investigating an antisemetic graffiti attack in Sydney’s south where swastikas were spray-painted on the walls of a synagogue.

Transcript

00:00Workers from Council are still at the scene here of the Southern Sydney Synagogue to remove

00:07anti-Semitic graffiti including comments about Jewish people as well as other comments separate

00:14to that about Israel as well as Palestine.

00:17All of this is now closely being monitored by police who say along with General Duties

00:22officers they'll also be involving those from counter-terrorism units.

00:27We have dedicated resources who will be investigating this particular incident.

00:32We've had crime scene out here already, this will be led by a detective response, our counter-terrorism

00:38team will also be looking at this with us.

00:43We're in the early stages of this investigation, we will be reviewing all the CCTV canvassing

00:49the area and at this early stage we will say that we have got a number of leads to follow

00:56up on and those people who would want to do this sort of thing we would say to you, you

01:02will get caught, you will get prosecuted and you will be put before the courts.

01:08Those in positions of power in New South Wales including Chris Minns where this synagogue

01:12is actually in his electorate, the Premier came down this morning to support community

01:17leaders here and those of the Jewish faith as well as condemning very publicly in a press

01:22conference how unacceptable he thought this graffiti was.

01:25The Southern Sydney Synagogue was vandalised in a horrifying hate filled attack by individuals

01:33that have got hate in their hearts who are determined to divide our community in two.

01:37It was a monstrous act and I think that the painting of a swastika on a Jewish building

01:42shows you everything you need to know about how appalling these particular individuals

01:47are and what their ultimate aim is when it comes to members of the Jewish community.

01:52I think it's disgusting and disgraceful, it's around the corner from my house and I

01:56know that the people that I represent and the community that I live in completely repudiate

02:04that kind of horrifying vandalism, that horrifying violence in our community.

02:09Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemning the actions seen here today.

02:14This is a crime and those responsible should face the full force of the law.

02:19That's why my government was the first to introduce legislation to make sure that crimes

02:26such as this are called out for what they are.

02:29They are hateful and there is no place in Australia, our tolerant multicultural community,

02:35for this sort of criminal activity.

02:38Australians should respect each other and overwhelmingly do, regardless of their faith.

02:44As for those who use this synagogue as a place of worship,

02:47they're stunned, mortified and saddened by some of the imagery that was used,

02:52including swastikas graffitied on this synagogue here.

02:56I guess it's difficult to describe, sort of shock and distress and as I said,

03:04being the child of Holocaust survivors, it brought back images going back to 1933.

03:12Despite the graffiti, Dr George Foster says he and others who go to this synagogue

03:17will not be deterred, they'll continue to turn up.

03:20They've handed over CCTV footage to police officers which shows between 3.55 and 4.30am

03:27two people in masks and hoodies around the area with graffiti cans.

03:31That vision now the close subject of examination by police as the investigation continues.

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