Racist Violence
Physical Violence
One of the most recognisable manifestations of antisemitism in Australia is that of attacks on Jewish people and property. These deplorable acts of criminal physical violence leave the Jewish community feeling anxious and vulnerable. (Reasons for incidents of physical violence include the Australian Jewish community’s advocacy for cultural diversity as well as the events in the Middle East). Whilst the Jewish community in Australia spends large amounts of money to provide security for its synagogues, buildings, schools and events, physical violence on members of the Jewish community continues to occur. Many of these incidents are reported to organisations such as the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), which reports that there has been a rise of serious physical assaults against Jewish people in Australia since the commencement of the 21st century.In January 2007, for example, there has already been a violent attack on identifiably Jewish people. In Melbourne, two teenagers were attacked on a Saturday night at a popular, busy nightlife area, where nobody saw the attackers or recorded the details of the car they were driving. Whilst there has been an increase in physical violence upon Australian Jewry in recent years, most attacks occur anonymously with the perpetrators never formally identified. Even in cases where the perpetrator is identified, most cases are not prosecuted. For example, in more recent times there has been growing concern in the community about the spate of unresolved attacks on Jews, particularly assaults on Orthodox Jews Australia-wide.
Damage to Property
Attacks on Jewish property remain one of the most salient and recognisable forms of antisemitism in Australia. Attacks on property are intended to offend and intimidate and in more recent times have reached a disturbingly high level. For example, according to the ECAJ from October 1 2005 to 30 September 2006, arson attacks and vandalism on Jewish organisations and individuals were recorded at 56 percent above average. In Sydney in June 2006, both Coogee synagogue and North Shore Temple Emmanuel were vandalised. In Coogee synagogue, intruders damaged the handle of the Torah scroll and stole the curtain from the ark. In August 2006, Sydney’s Parramatta and District synagogue was stoned twice in two weeks, and vandals used chunks of concrete to shatter windows. In Melbourne, Bentleigh Progressive Synagogue was daubed with antisemitic slogans, including “F**k Jews”, and “Die Jews”, as well as a swastika and a Star of David joined with an equals sign.
Moreover, acts of graffiti were also reported at their highest levels with many reported at synagogues across the country. One such example was in July 2004, when the Perth Hebrew Congregation was sprayed with various anti-Jewish slogans. Further, in April 2005, the Newcastle synagogue was spray painted with swastikas and other Nazi references such as “Jews must die” and “Six million more”. These acts are of great concern to the Jewish community as they not only offend and intimidate but also represent desecration of religious sites. In addition, virtually all attacks carried out are done so anonymously with the perpetrators never identified or formally charged.
Racial Taunts
Racial taunts such as threats and intimidation continue to be a significant manifestation of antisemitism in Australia. These taunts take a number of different forms including threatening letters and emails to Jews and Jewish organisations as well as verbal abuse. Further, members of the Jewish community continue to be harassed and racially taunted, by the receipt of antisemitic leaflets and other material placed in private letterboxes. Posters and stickers on buildings and telegraph poles depicting antisemitic imagery and themes are also very common.
In 2002, the Federal Court of Australia handed down its decision in the case of Jones v Scully (2002) 120 FCR 243. Olga Scully was distributing leaflets which contained offensive and insulting comments including Holocaust denial from the boot of her car. The Court ordered Scully to desist from distributing the Holocaust denial material on the grounds that it incited racial hatred against Jews.
One of the most worrying aspects of racial taunts is the prospect that they may lead to an escalation of serious attacks. For example, the number of incidents logged in 2006, according to the ECAJ rose to a near-record high. In total, 442 incidents were reported from October 2005 to September 2006, an increase of around 110 incidents on the preceding 12-month period. However, as with physical attacks on Jews, most perpetrators of racial taunts against members of the Jewish community are not tried or prosecuted, and many instances of antisemitic racial taunts are not reported at all. |
Antisemitism 
