Synagogue targeted with graffiti by man in Scream mask
CCTV footage shows a lone man wearing a white mask approach the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in South Yarra on an e-scooter before vandalising the synagogue. He then fled on the scooter.
Police allege he scrawled graffiti on the synagogue on March 11, June 21, June 22, July 22 and July 30. In the July incidents, he wore a Scream mask, police said, but on other occasions, he wore different face coverings, such as a bandana.
'There is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based behaviour,' a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
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Speaking to The Age after his synagogue was spray-painted with 'Iran is Da Bomb' (during Israel's war on Iran) and 'Free Palestine' in June, Rabbi Shlomo Nathanson said it was 'un-Australian'.
'There's going to be a wide variety of opinions as to the politics in the Middle East and where things stand from one extreme to the other, but to translate that into violent acts and antisemitism and criminal activity here in Australia is un-Australian,' Nathanson said.
The synagogue is the oldest Jewish congregation in Melbourne, according to its website, and was formed in 1841.
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Sky News AU
10 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Alan Boulton: Ex-judge fired from Monash over child abuse material charges
An ex-judge accused of inadvertently showing child abuse images during a lecture for law students has been fired from the university. Former Fair Work Commission senior deputy president Alan Boulton, 74, allegedly displayed the content in the final 15 minutes of a lecture at Monash University on February 5. Victoria Police was alerted, leading officers to seize electronic devices during a search of Mr Boulton's Middle Park home about one week later. Police revealed last week that he had been charged with one count of possessing child abuse material as a Commonwealth offence and two counts of possessing child abuse material. A Victoria Police spokesperson said Mr Boulton was charged following a 'lengthy investigation'. Detectives also travelled to Sydney where they searched a second property, with the assistance of NSW Police on February 13. 'Further electronic devices were located and the investigation into those devices remains ongoing,' police said. Mr Boulton is due to face Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday. Following the alleged incident, he was immediately suspended from his role as a senior fellow at the university and removed from all teaching duties. He was also directed not to communicate with students or staff or access the university premises. 'Monash University was made aware of concerns relating to an incident in February 2025 and referred the matter to Victoria Police,' a university spokesperson said in a statement. 'We continue to support the ongoing investigation … the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and broader community remains our highest priority.' The university has also deleted a page about Mr Boulton from its website. After graduating with a law degree, Mr Boulton worked as a solicitor and then a lecturer at Australian National University. In 1979, he became the first full-time legal officer with the Australian Council of Trade Unions. He later held other positions in Australia and overseas, including senior deputy president of the Fair Work Commission and president of the Industrial Relations Commission of Victoria. He also worked at the International Labour Organisation. Mr Boulton was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2002 for 'distinguished service to industrial arbitration and labour relations at state and national level, to the Australian Defence Force, and to the development of labour policy and standards in the South East Asian region through the auspices of the International Labour Organisation'. Originally published as Former judge loses uni job after allegedly inadvertently showing child abuse images during lecture
