The Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has decried new cases of antisemitic vandalism. The ADC was contacted by two concerned individuals who discovered that a wall near a train station in Ormond was sprayed with the word “Gestapo” and an electrical box on Carlisle Street in Balaclava was defaced with a Nazi Swastika. These incidents follows similar attacks that have surged over the last year.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“Antisemitism never takes a vacation. This latest assault on the core values of our community should shock the conscience of every Victorian, and I am alarmed by the growing level of antisemitic vandalism permeating our streets.
It fits a pattern of increased bias-motivated crimes targeting the Jewish community. Such cowardly assaults, using the infamous symbols of genocide and hate, are repugnant and are a gross violation of our values.
There is no doubt that the spike in these threatening incidents, which traumatise the victims and create a climate of fear, serves as a sad reminder that antisemitism and racism are on the rise, and that the need for educational programs that challenge this destructive intolerance, such as the ADC’s Click Against Hate, are vitally important.
The message that must be conveyed by leaders across the political and religious spectrum is that this type of intimidating bigotry, as well as any other bigotry directed against any person because of their faith, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, will not be tolerated.
We must all say enough, and do all we can to combat racism and promote inclusiveness. Anyone who has information about the perpetrators of this odious act is encouraged to contact Victoria police, and it is our hope that once those responsible are arrested, they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law”