- Josh Frydenberg’s posters defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti in Melbourne
- Hitler-esque moustache and devil horns drawn over his photo on several posters
- Born to Jewish parents, the federal Treasurer described the vandals as cowards
- Vandalism was also condemned by the Anti-Defamation Commission chairman
Disgusting vandals have scribbled antisemitic graffiti on the election posters of Australia’s most prominent Jewish politician.
Several posters for federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg were defaced in Hawthorn in Melbourne’s inner-east on Wednesday night, which is part of his electorate of Kooyong.
Vandals armed with black textas scribbled a Hitler-esque moustache and devil horns to Mr Frydenberg’s photo on several posters.
‘Right-wing fascist’ was scrawled on another picture.
Mr Frydenberg hit back at the graffiti vandals on Thursday.
‘Regardless of one’s political persuasion, vandalism is unacceptable,’ he said.
‘It’s one thing for these cowards to graffiti a sign, but it’s another thing altogether to invoke the horrors of the Holocaust and the evils of Hitler and the Nazis. These people should be ashamed of themselves.’
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich also released a statement condemning the ‘sickening and chilling’ attack.
‘We decry in the strongest possible terms these actions for what they are: a cowardly and hateful attack on our democracy and on our values,’ Dr Abramovich said.
‘It is sickening and chilling that seven decades after the Holocaust Jewish members of our community continue to be targeted by vilification and Nazi imagery.’
He stands firmly with Mr Frydenberg and hopes the perpetrators will soon be caught and brought to justice.
‘We urge leaders across the political spectrum to voice their outrage at this vicious and obscene assault against an elected representative and to say that such abhorrent conduct will never find a home in our nation,’ Dr Abramovich said.
Mr Frydenberg was born to Jewish parents.
His Hungarian mother, Erica Strausz, arrived in Australia in 1950 as a stateless child from a refugee camp after escaping from The Holocaust.
His father, Harry, emigrated to Australia from Poland.
Mr Frydenberg has held the Melbourne seat of Kooyong since 2010 and faces a challenge to retain his seat from Greens candidate, prominent Melbourne barrister Julian Burnside.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said the vandalism spoke volumes about the perpetrators.
‘This is hardly the usual post-budget political commentary. It was despicable for whoever did this to latch on to the happenstance that the Treasurer is Jewish,’ Mr Wertheim said in a statement.
‘The classical antisemitic stereotype of Jews with horns growing out of their heads has been combined with the contemporary far-left trope depicting Jews as Nazis in order to portray the Treasurer as a ‘demonic Jew’.