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Counterterrorism Police Investigate Swastika Vandalism, Attempted Arson at Sydney Synagogue

Suspects connected to the vandalism and attempted arson attack of a synagogue in Sydney, Australia on Jan. 11, 2025. Photo: New South Wales Police
Counterterrorism police have taken over an investigation into swastika vandalism and attempted arson targeting a synagogue in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday morning, said New South Wales (NSW) Acting Premier Penny Sharpe.
The acting premier told Australia’s ABC radio on Monday that she is confident counterterrorism police will find the perpetrators behind the vandalism and arson attempt.
“They bring all of the intelligence that we have about activity that is out there,” she said. “They are able to coordinate at the local level, at the broader level, they’re able to work very closely and do things like release CCTV.”
NSW Police released CCTV images of two individuals connected to the swastika graffiti that was spray-painted on a synagogue in Sydney’s Inner West, during which police believe an arson attempt was also made. Police said early Saturday morning, two people approached the synagogue on Georgina Street in Newtown, spray-painted the antisemitic Nazi symbol on the fence and building, and also attempted to light the synagogue on fire. The pair left the scene of the crime shortly afterward. NSW Police have also provided descriptions of what the suspects were wearing during the incident.
“New South Wales should be a safe place for every person and any attack on any group is completely unacceptable,” Sharpe told Sky News Australia. “The rise of antisemitism is something everyone should be concerned about, not just the Jewish community. We’re pleased and watching closely the work that the counterterrorism and police are doing in relation to all the investigations. We’re examining laws and when Parliament returns in February, we’ll be putting in place protections so people can go to their church or their temple or synagogue without fear of harassment or threatening behavior.”
“This is a very serious matter” Sharpe added. “It’s hateful, it’s illegal, and for the community that we live in, we have to send a very strong message that it won’t go unanswered.”
Sharpe also spoke of a “community responsibility” and urged residents of NSW to come forward to police with any information regarding the vandalism and attempted arson, including knowledge about the suspects. When asked if she would support legislation that calls for mandatory prison sentences for individuals who target Jewish synagogues, she said, “we are open to all ideas … we are always open to a conversation on a national level about these issues.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said over the weekend that the spray-painting of a swastika on the synagogue was “very concerning, not just for the Jewish community but for the wider community.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia’s “tolerant multicultural community” was “no place for this sort of criminal activity.”
The latest investigation came weeks after the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) published a report showing that antisemitism across the country quadrupled to record levels between 2023-2024, with Australian Jews experiencing more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents between October 2023 and September 2024.
Anti-Jewish hate crimes surged across Australia following the Palestinian terror group Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, amid the ensuing war in Gaza. Such incidents included a terrorist arson attack on a synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea.
Just last week, several swastikas were spray-painted on the Allawah synagogue in southern Sydney, as well as the antisemitic message “Hitler on top Allah” and the phrase “Free Palestine.” The vandalism last week took place mere days after a car was spray-painted with the message “F—k the Jews” in Sydney’s south-east suburb Queens Park.
In May 2024, the words “Jew die” were spray-painted on the entrance of Mount Scopus Memorial College, Melbourne’s largest Jewish school. In December 2024, a car was set on fire in the eastern Sydney suburb of Woollahra that is home to Australia’s largest Jewish community, and the words “Kill Israiel [sic]” were graffitied on a wall nearby.
“Kill Jews … Jew [sic] lives here” was painted on a wall that contained mailboxes in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton in November 2023, and graffiti was also spray-painted a wall in the inner west suburb of Sydneham that read “gas the Jews.”
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Germany’s Scholz Rebukes Vance, Defends Europe’s Stance on Hate Speech and Far Right

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to the media after he met former prisoners following the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West in decades, at the military area of Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany, August 1, 2024. Photo: Christoph Reichwein/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered a strong rebuke on Saturday to US Vice President JD Vance’s attack on Europe’s stance toward hate speech and the far right, saying it was not right for others to tell Germany and Europe what to do.
Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, the first day of the Munich Security Conference, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticizing German mainstream parties’ “firewall” against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“That is not appropriate, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly reject that,” Scholz told the conference on Saturday, adding there were “good reasons” not to work with the AfD.
The anti-immigration party, currently polling at around 20% ahead of Germany’s February 23 national election, has pariah status among other major German parties in a country with a taboo about ultranationalist politics because of its Nazi past.
“Never again fascism, never again racism, never again aggressive war. That is why an overwhelming majority in our country opposes anyone who glorifies or justifies criminal National Socialism,” Scholz said, referring to the ideology of Adolf Hitler’s 1933-45 Nazi regime.
Vance met on Friday with the leader of AfD, after endorsing the party as a political partner — a stance Berlin dismissed as unwelcome election interference.
Referring more broadly to Vance’s criticism of Europe’s curtailing of hate speech, which he has likened to censorship, Scholz said: “Today’s democracies in Germany and Europe are founded on the historic awareness and realization that democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats.
“And this is why we’ve created institutions that ensure that our democracies can defend themselves against their enemies, and rules that do not restrict or limit our freedom but protect it.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added his voice to the defense of Europe’s stance on hate speech.
“No one is required to adopt our model but no one can impose theirs on us,” Barrot said on X from Munich. “Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Europe.”
UKRAINE
The prospect of talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war had been expected to dominate the annual Munich conference after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week, but Vance barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech to the gathering on Friday.
Instead, he said the threat to Europe that worried him most was not Russia or China but what he called a retreat from fundamental values of protecting free speech – as well as immigration, which he said was “out of control” in Europe.
Many conference delegates watched Vance’s speech in stunned silence. There was little applause as he delivered his remarks.
Asked by the panel moderator if he thought there was anything in Vance’s speech worth reflecting on, Scholz drew laughter and applause in the crowd when he responded, in a deadpan manner: “You mean all these very relevant discussions about Ukraine and security in Europe?”
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Trump Team to Start Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia in Coming Days, Politico Reports

US Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
Senior officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration will start peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, Politico reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the plan.
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, the report said. Special envoy for Ukraine-Russia talks, Keith Kellogg, will not be in attendance, according to the report.
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UN Peacekeeping Mission Deputy Commander Injured After Convoy Attacked in Beirut

FILE PHOTO: A UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicle is seen next to piled up debris at Beirut’s port, Lebanon October 23, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked,” UNIFIL said.
The mission demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice, it said in a statement.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack on Saturday, saying that security forces would not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilize the country, according to a statement from his office.
The French government also condemned the attack.
“France calls on the Lebanese security forces to guarantee the security of blue-helmet peacekeeping forces, and calls on Lebanon’s judicial authorities to shed all light on this unacceptable attack and to go after those responsible,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar called for an emergency meeting before noon on Saturday to discuss the security situation, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
“He affirmed the Lebanese government’s rejection of this assault that is considered a crime against UNIFIL forces,” NNA reported, citing the minister.
He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the relevant judicial authorities.
The minister told reporters on Saturday that more than 25 people had been detained for investigation over the attack.
The United States earlier condemned the attack. A State Department statement said the attack was carried out “reportedly by a group of Hezbollah supporters”, referring to the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.
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