Daycare centre torched near synagogue in new hate crime
Leaders have vowed to hunt down the “bastards” behind an antisemitic attack on a childcare centre near a Sydney a synagogue.
The Only About Children centre in Maroubra in Sydney’s east was set on fire shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning, while the words “F— the Jews” were sprayed in black paint on a wall.
The site is a block from Maroubra Synagogue and the attack marks the latest in a string of antisemitic arson and graffiti incidents in the city’s east, which is home to a large Jewish community.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Chris Minns, who were both at the burned childcare centre on Tuesday, pledged to throw all necessary resources at tracking down those responsible.
“What we saw overnight… is the latest in a series of antisemitic hate crimes,” Albanese said.
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“This is a place for children and families, and it should never have been denigrated by this despicable and horrifying crime.”
The ground floor of the childcare centre was well alight by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, NSW Police said.
The blaze was put out but the building sustained extensive damage. There were no reports of injuries and the property was empty at the time.
On Tuesday, scorch marks could be seen around the building’s broken windows and the burnt smell of the overnight firebombing was still evident nearby.
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Minns said more police would be added to an existing strike force investigating the spate of antisemitic attacks.
“I speak on behalf of every decent Australian when I say that these scenes of a torched-out childcare centre on the same [block] as a synagogue is completely heartbreaking,” he said.
“It is completely disgusting and these bastards will be rounded up by NSW Police.”
The latest incident comes as the nation’s Jewish community is still reeling from a vandalism and arson attack on the former home of Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Alex Ryvchin early on Friday.
The house was defaced with slurs and red paint, and cars were set alight outside.
That attack was the latest in a series of antisemitic arson and graffiti attempts, including the targeting of synagogues in Sydney and Melbourne.
On Monday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced plans for tougher laws to combat antisemitism if the Coalition wins government, including minimum six-year sentences for terrorism offences.
Those displaying terrorist organisation symbols, Nazi symbols or performing Nazi salutes would face at least a year behind bars.
But Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Greg Barns said there was no evidence mandatory sentences deterred offenders, adding that minimum jail terms led to injustice.
“They force courts to impose sentences where the circumstances do not warrant it because of the nature of offending, or the background of the offender,” he said.
