Wong slammed as second wave of antisemitic attacks in Sydney sparks outrage

Australia's under-fire Jewish community reacts to fresh antisemitic attack following Penny Wong's rhetoric on Israel.

Rebel News
  |   December 10, 2024   |   News   |   1 Comment

In a troubling escalation of antisemitic incidents in Sydney, a car was set on fire and offensive graffiti, reading "Kill Israiel (sic)," was found on a wall behind the vehicle in the suburb of Woollahra early on Wednesday.

This attack, alongside additional vandalism to nearby properties, comes just one day after Foreign Minister Penny Wong's latest remarks on Israel, which have been widely condemned for contributing to a climate of fear among Jewish Australians.

The latest attack marks the second high-profile incident of antisemitism in Australian cities within a week. Senior Coalition MP Sussan Ley has called for "strong leadership from the Prime Minister" in response to the incident, which she described as "thugs and hooligans going to where Jewish people live, to their homes, and conducting these sort of awful, awful acts of intimidation."

Ley expressed frustration over the lack of action, urging arrests and a stronger response. "I want to see arrests, I want to see action, I want to see strong leadership from the Prime Minister, and I’m not sure that we’re seeing that now," she told media.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other senior government figures condemned the attack, with Albanese claiming that "Australians want to live peacefully, side by side, and Australians reject this abhorrent criminal behaviour." However, the incident has sparked further controversy over the government's stance on Israel, particularly after Wong's provocative comments on Monday.

In a speech in Adelaide, Wong compared Israel with authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China, stoking concerns from political leaders about the impact of her rhetoric.

Senior Coalition figures, including Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson and Liberal Senator Dave Sharma, have accused Wong of "dog-whistling" and fuelling antisemitism. Paterson warned that Wong's remarks contributed to a "climate of fear" for Jewish Australians, while Sharma stated that her rhetoric was "giving license and encouragement to people who want to take matters into their own hands."

Tensions in the Jewish community are high following the firebombing of the Adass Irsael Synagogue in Melbourne on Friday, which has finally been labelled a terrorist attack.

The Sydney attack, the second in the city after a similar attack last month, has left many Jewish community leaders now calling for a shift in the language used by political figures to prevent further violence and division.

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Sign this petition to call on authorities to take immediate and decisive action to protect Jewish places of worship, bring those responsible for these attacks to justice, and send a clear message that antisemitism will not be tolerated in any form.

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2024-12-10 19:41:05 -0500
    Antisemitism must be taken serious without excusing Middle Easterners. We don’t tolerate white Neo Nazis so why tolerate these hate-filled bigots?