Netanyahu condemns ‘reprehensible antisemitic attacks' in Melbourne
About 20 people were taking part in Shabbat inside the historic Albert Street synagogue when flammable liquid was poured on the front door of the building and it was set alight.
On Sunday, police presence will be ramped up at a pro-Palestine rally after multiple incidents allegedly targeting the Jewish community in Melbourne on Friday night.
A group of about 20 people, some masked and wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, entered the CBD Israeli restaurant, Miznon, at 8.15pm.
Vision from the Miznon incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, which is part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza.
Israel's president Isaac Herzog, a member of the Israeli Labor Party, also weighed in, saying: 'This is not the first such attack in Australia in recent months.'
The remarks from Netanyahu – who, along with Hamas leaders, is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over Israel's operations in Gaza – represent his second thrust into Australian affairs. Amid a spate of attacks on Australian Jewish sites in December, Netanyahu claimed the Australian government was not doing enough to curb antisemitism. Some of those alleged crimes involved organised criminals.
Australia has taken an increasingly hard line against Netanyahu's government for its actions in Gaza and comments from far-right members of Netanyahu's cabinet, who were sanctioned by Australia last month for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians.
Loading
Netanyahu has become increasingly isolated diplomatically as New Zealand, Canada, the UK and Australia, all traditional friends of Israel, have criticised the length and severity of the war in Gaza following Hamas' October 7 massacre.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan both condemned the Melbourne incidents on Saturday.
'Antisemitism has no place in Australia,' Albanese said. 'Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law, and my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort.'
Allan said: 'This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
22 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Erin Patterson accused of tampering with prison food and making inmate sick while in maximum security waiting for trial
An inmate has accused Erin Patterson of tampering with her food and making her sick as the mushroom cook was behind bars waiting for her high-profile trial. The mother-of-two on Monday afternoon was found guilty by a jury of murdering her three relatives of her estranged husband - Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson - by serving them a poisonous beef wellington lunch in July 2023. She was also found guilty for the attempted murder of Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local church pastor who survived following a lengthy stint in hospital. Patterson spent her first night behind bars as one of the worst female Australian killers. According to The Herald Sun citing sources, the mushroom cook, 50, is not liked among other inmates inside Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum security jail for women. The source claimed prisoners had fallen out with Patterson, with one inmate alleging a meal prepared inside the prison had been tampered with which made her sick. After the complaint, Patterson was placed in the "slot", a cell where she was isolated for up to 22 hours a day with minimum contact as the allegation was investigated. No further action was believed to be taken over the incident, which happened as she was awaiting trial, but could not be reported on, The Herald Sun said. Supporters of Patterson had hoped for a different outcome. Photos outside the family in Leongatha, a small Victorian town in the state's south-east, showed black tarp set up, a likely move to shield the mother-of-two from the media if she was found not guilty by the jury and allowed to return to the family home. A "legal notice" was also attached with cable ties to the gate. "Please be advised the owner of this property hereby gives notice to all members of the media or any person employed or contracted to any media organisation, that you are not permitted to enter any part of this property as marked by the boundary fence," it read. The prosecution during the trial argued Patterson's lunch was intentionally laced with death cap mushrooms, but the defence denied the poisonings were intentional. Patterson's estranged husband Simon was invited to the lunch, but pulled out of the gathering the day before. The prosecution said Patterson concocted a cancer diagnosis to lure her guests over for lunch as she needed advice on how to break the medical news to her children. The court heard from various witnesses during the trial, including the killer herself, as well as members of the Patterson family, police officers and medical experts. On Monday afternoon, Patterson's friend Ali Rose Prior briefly spoke to the media as she left the courthouse following the guilty verdict. "I'm saddened, and it is what it is," Ms Prior told reporters. Asked if she was anticipating that Ms Patterson would be found not guilty, Mr Prior said she "didn't have any expectations". "The justice system has to be what it is," she said. Asked how she thought Patterson would have felt in that moment the verdict was delivered, Ms Prior said "I don't know" adding she would see her friend "soon". The court previously heard that Patterson maintained a good relationship with her former in-laws even after her separation from Simon in 2015. However, Patterson and Simon's relationship deteriorated around 2022 when the pair began disputing over child support and other expenses. About a week after the lunch, police conducted a search of Patterson's Leongatha home and seized a number of items, including a computer. Digital forensic experts told the trial an analysis of the seized computer showed the device had accessed an online social science network in 2022 called iNaturalist, where people have previously shared sightings of death cap mushrooms. During her testimony, Patterson claimed she bought the fresh mushrooms used in the beef wellington from Woolworths, as well as dried ones from an Asian grocer in Melbourne's south-east. She had stored the dried mushrooms in a Tupperware container. Patterson told the court she had dehydrated and foraged for mushrooms in the past, and feared some may have mistakenly been mixed into her beef wellington meal. The mushroom cook and her legal team have 28 days to appeal the verdict, but if she chooses not to then the next court appearance will be for her sentencing.
Sky News AU
28 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Jason Clare considers introducing classes to stamp out mounting antisemitic sentiments in major reform to national curriculum
Education Minister Jason Clare has said the government 'stands ready' to implement changes to the national school curriculum, including implementing antisemitic prevention classes. On Monday the Victorian government announced the creation of a new anti-hate taskforce in response to a swathe of antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community. Multiple incidents occurred across the city starting last Friday night, including an alleged arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue. Days later, pro-Palestinian protesters allegedly chanted 'Death, death to the IDF'. Following the release of a 15-point plan from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in February (ECAJ), which included antisemitism being incorporated into the national curriculum, Mr Clare reiterated that 'Holocaust education is part of the Australian curriculum'. 'It's only by learning the lessons of the Holocaust that we can ensure it never happens again,' he said to The Australian. Mr Clare defended the government's response, pointing to the fact that the Albanese government had increased funding for social cohesion programs in schools and had also opened the National Holocaust Education Centre in Canberra. However, he conceded that there was more the government could do to mitigate the soaring number of antisemitic incidents sweeping the nation. 'There is no place for the poison of anti-Semitism in our community, and our schools play an important role in educating young people about anti-Semitism and racism more broadly,' Mr Clare said. He added the government would be prepared to alter the national curriculum if recommendations were made by Jillian Segal, the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. 'There is always more that can be done, and the government stands ready to work with the Special Envoy to Combat anti-Semitism on further reforms here," Mr Clare said. The Australian reported Ms Segal is set to imminently urge the government to expand antisemitic education within the school system, and that it was a crucial preventative step. Ms Segal said the 'environment of hatred and intimidation that has been allowed to grow and fester needs to be tackled head on'. 'Condemnation is not enough. We urgently need stronger policing and laws that name this hate for what it is and punish it accordingly," she said. The Albanese government has faced fierce backlash for its approach in tackling the sharp rise in antisemitic behaviour, with critics arguing its response had been overly lax. Former prime minister Tony Abbott called on the government to impose a crackdown on anti-Israel protests while ex secretary of the Department of Home Affairs Mike Pezzullo implored the government to commission an Operation Sovereign Borders-style taskforce with bolstered powers. Mr Pezzullo said the special taskforce should be composed of ASIO officials and top delegates from federal and state law enforcement branches. 'Regrettably, we have to assume that such an attack is now probable (to use the ASIO rating), especially as Iranian and possibly other hostile services might decide that mass casualty attacks on Jewish people and/or places would be an effective way to strike back at Israel,' he said.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Labor government targets antisemitic school reform
Education Minister Jason Clare is hinting at reforming the school curriculum so children are taught about antisemitism. The Labor government believes teachers have a role to play in educating young Australians about attitudes towards Jewish people. The government is expected to provide funding to expand social cohesion programs for kids and establish a national holocaust centre in Canberra.
