Childcare facility set ablaze in recent antisemitic incident in Australia.

Authorities reported that a childcare center in Sydney was set on fire early Tuesday morning, and antisemitic graffiti was vandalized on its wall, marking the latest incident in a series of attacks against the Jewish community in Australia.

The childcare facility, situated close to a Jewish school and synagogue in the eastern part of the city, incurred significant damage, but there were no reports of injuries from the incident that happened at approximately 1 a.m. (police reported at 1400 GMT, Monday). This was the second antisemitic attack on property in just four days in Sydney, occurring during a series of similar crimes aimed at the Jewish community in Australia’s largest city.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns stated that those responsible would be apprehended and that police have allocated additional resources for investigating hate crimes, as public discontent increases over the absence of arrests in earlier antisemitic incidents. “Individuals who would … assault a fellow Australian they do not know due to their race or religion are absolutely vile, and these criminals will be captured by law enforcement,” Minns remarked during a press conference.

Since Israel responded to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Australia has witnessed an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents, highlighted by a Gaza offensive that has resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities. In the past two months, at least six incidents have been reported solely in Sydney.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese referred to the recent assault as “a brutal crime.” Albanese is up against a national election set for May, and antisemitism is emerging as a significant concern, with the opposition labeling him as “weak” for not taking sufficient action to stop hate crimes targeting Jews.

In reaction to the wave of assaults, the Australian federal police has established a task force to look into threats and violence aimed at the Jewish community. A 44-year-old man was arrested last week, the initial suspect by the task force, for reportedly issuing death threats towards individuals of a Jewish organization.