A new anti-hate taskforce in Victoria will consider extra police powers to stamp out “extreme and violent protest”.
It comes after a man allegedly set fire to a Melbourne synagogue last Friday, closely followed by two other attacks over the weekend.
Police currently don’t believe the three incidents are linked.
At a national level, the Coalition has called for the Prime Minister to increase “security protections for Jewish communities”.
What happened?
On Friday night, approximately 20 people gathered at the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation for evening prayers.
A 34-year-old man from Sydney is alleged to have poured a flammable liquid at the front of the building and set fire to it while they were inside. He has since been charged with multiple offences.
All those gathered inside the synagogue, including some children, escaped via a back-door exit. No injuries were reported.
In another incident, three cars were set on fire outside a business in Melbourne’s north-east linked to Israel on Saturday morning, and nearby walls and cars were vandalised with what police called “references of antisemitism”.
Police are still looking for five people connected to the attack.
Separately, protesters gathered at an Israeli-owned restaurant called Miznon in Melbourne’s CBD. Footage shows protesters overturning tables and chanting slogans, including “death to the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces)”.
Police say the synagogue, restaurant, and business attacks are unrelated.
Protesters
A group connected to the Miznon protest, the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance said: “Pro-Palestinian activists have never attacked places of worship and we condemn such attacks”.
It said its protest at the restaurant was related to the owner, Shahar Segal, who was a spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The U.S. and Israel-backed GHF runs four aid sites in Gaza. The UN says more than 600 Palestinians have been killed trying to access its sites. Since the restaurant protest, Israeli media reports Segal has resigned from the GHF.
New taskforce
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced a new anti-hate taskforce will look at ways to stop the attacks.
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The taskforce will be made up of the Premier, Police Minister Anthony Carbines, state police, and Melbourne mayor Nicholas Reece.
It will consider giving extra powers to police to “stamp out extreme and violent protest”. Separately, the state government is drafting legislation to ban masks and terrorist symbols at demonstrations.
The taskforce will also consider increasing penalties for some anti-vilification offences.
This could mean a person found to have incited hatred could face jail time, instead of a fine.
Allan said the anti-hate taskforce will build on the Government’s existing measures.
“ Everyone in this great state deserves the right to be who they are. Free from hate.”
Opposition
State Opposition Leader Brad Battin questioned whether the taskforce would be effective in cracking down on “hate crime in Victoria”.
He criticised the government for prioritising “talk fests” and “media releases” over “action”.
Battin urged the Government to consider re-introducing ‘move on’ powers for police, to stop “violent protests”. This power allowed police to make a person leave a public area and not return for a period of time. The Government removed these powers in 2015, saying they were “draconian”.
National
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the synagogue fire as a “cowardly... act of violence and antisemitism”.
The Israeli Government has written a letter to Albanese condemning the recent antisemitic attacks, and pushing the Federal Government to take stronger action.
The Government has engaged its antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal to develop a “broader approach to educate people about the insidious nature of antisemitism”.
The Federal Opposition has asked the Prime Minister to strengthen “protections for Jewish communities.”
“It is now impossible to ignore the growing crisis of antisemitism in Australia,” Shadow Multicultural and Immigration Minister Paul Scarr said in a statement.
Coalition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh told the ABC the government should call a meeting of National Cabinet (state and territory leaders) in response to the recent attacks.
