Police confirm multiple antisemitic incidents overnight in Sydney
NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, is now addressing press. She says there were three separate incidents of graffiti in the eastern suburbs, at Maroubra, East Gardens and East Lakes:
All those matters remain under investigation. Of particular concern is the graffiti on the school at Maroubra … School starts back today. So those kids will be walking in to see that vile messaging.
The graffiti overnight will be under investigation and taken as seriously as other matters, and we’ll continue to hunt those people until we find them.
Key events
Caitlin Cassidy
Wertheim has pointed his finger at civil institutions including universities, writers festivals and arts centres for allowing a “witches brew of extremism” to foster.
Speaking about an escalation in antisemitic incidents in Australia, Wertheim said authorities and civil society leaders seemed “powerless” to address the trend and “firmer action” was needed.
We need a change of attitude within the institutions of our society from which these hate ideologies have found a home – this witches brew of extremism. We need a change of attitude by our universities, we need a change of attitude by our writers festivals, our arts and culture centres, by social media platforms, in fostering these hateful ideologies which result in violent actions in the name of freedom of expression.
They’ve provided a home to extremist ideologies in the name of really misguided thinking about where freedom of expression begins and ends – it doesn’t seem to have penetrated … that they’ve completely, with some honourable exceptions, got it completely wrong in the fostering of extreme ideologies on their campuses … I fear for the future of our society.
A senate inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities is ongoing.
Caitlin Cassidy
‘High-profile institutions’ named as potential targets for antisemitic attacks
Wertheim said Jewish organisations “should have been told” about the Dural caravan threat prior to it going public while adding it hadn’t broken his trust with the NSW premier.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry represents about 200 Jewish organisations across Australia. Wertheim said “none of us” were aware of the incident before “we read about it in the media”. After reports, he was contacted by the federal police.
I think they should’ve told us earlier, because the impact on the community then could’ve been managed. We could’ve understood better what we are facing … there are sometimes very good operational reasons for keeping an investigation secret … but that has to be balanced against other considerations.
He said he did not receive a reason as to why they were not informed. Wertheim said being kept in the dark hadn’t “fractured” his relationship with Chris Minns but there was a sense of “urgency, strain and anger” at the “deterioration of the quality of life in Australia”.
I think the premier shares that … there’s frustration at the seeming inability of the authorities to bring this under control … it really comes down to a difference of position on judgment.
Asked which institutions had been named as potential targets, he said they were “high-profile institutions” that had previously been the target of antisemitism.
Caitlin Cassidy
Rule of law ‘starting to slip away from us’, says peak Jewish representative body
The co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Peter Wertheim, says the past few months have been “like a living nightmare” for the Jewish community after a string of antisemitic attacks on institutions, schools and individuals.
Speaking to the media on Thursday morning, Wertheim confirmed the first he or other Jewish bodies had heard of an alleged antisemitic bomb plot was when it was published in media outlets on Wednesday evening.
Yesterday we learned of a caravan … that contained explosives that would’ve been enough to cause a blast [of] sufficient force to cause mass casualties – many people killed, many people injured … The feelings in the Jewish community are not only of understandable concern and anxiety … but increasingly, one of anger.
A very large number of Australians have had a gutful of these events – they bring shame on our country, they demean us as a nation … they do not represent our national values … We’re angry because we’re seeing the Australia we’ve been fortunate enough to live in … the rule of law, is starting to slip away from us, and our children, and from future generations.
Assistant treasurer Stephen Jones retiring
Sarah Basford Canales
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, has announced his retirement just months out from the federal election.
In a statement on Thursday morning, the member for Whitlam thanked the Labor party and his friends and his family for his 15 years in parliament.
Jones said:
Growing up and living most of my life in this beautiful place I have seen many changes. We still mine coal and produce steel – but we are so much more. Our world-class university educates and gives opportunity to thousands of locals every year. New suburbs have emerged from farmland, but we have not lost our ability to produce great athletes, artists, minds, and citizens.
Jones was elected to the seat, which covers the area south of Wollongong and across the southern highlands in NSW, in 2010.
He was appointed assistant treasurer and financial services minister in the Albanese government.
Explosives found in caravan used in mining
The deputy police commissioner, David Hudson, said police are liaising with the manufacturers of the explosives found in the caravan.
“They’re almost exclusively used in the mining industry and we are still conducting those inquiries,” he said.
NSW police investigating whether Dural caravan was preparation for terrorism event, commissioner says
Webb said the investigation is “looking at whether the caravan and its contents are acts in preparation for a terrorism event”.
I often get asked – and I want to clarify – about whether or not there needs to be a declaration of a terrorism event … That is separate to the issue of whether police can charge with terrorism offences. Police can charge with terrorism offences without the need for a declaration. I want to make that point clear.
I also want to make the point clear that in relation to the caravan and its contents and the people that are associated with that, we are taking it as its very highest and what I mean by that is, our investigation is looking at whether the caravan and its contents are acts in preparation for a terrorism event.
No detonator found with explosives in caravan
The police commissioner said there was no detonator found with the explosive material in the caravan. Webb told press:
Whilst the explosive material was found in that caravan, there was no detonator with the caravan. So all of these matters are still under investigation.
There are many, many more lines of inquiry and, as has been said time and time again, it is a joint investigation with our federal counterparts and our state counterparts including the New South Wales Crime Commission, Asio, and others.
Dural caravan owner in custody, police confirm
Karen Webb has confirmed that the registered owner of the caravan laden with explosives found in Sydney is in custody on unrelated matters.
She said:
Yesterday afternoon, there was extensive discussion … about the identification, location of a caravan in Dural in January. In addition to the information that has been provided, on the basis that it’s now in the public domain, I can confirm that the registered owner of that caravan is a person that is in custody on unrelated matters.
I don’t want to speculate too much more, but it’s important that the public understands that not only has the caravan been removed and the contents removed from the public, but also the owner is out of play and in custody. So the risk to the public has been mitigated very early on.
Police confirm multiple antisemitic incidents overnight in Sydney
NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, is now addressing press. She says there were three separate incidents of graffiti in the eastern suburbs, at Maroubra, East Gardens and East Lakes:
All those matters remain under investigation. Of particular concern is the graffiti on the school at Maroubra … School starts back today. So those kids will be walking in to see that vile messaging.
The graffiti overnight will be under investigation and taken as seriously as other matters, and we’ll continue to hunt those people until we find them.
Arrests made over spate of antisemitic attacks, Minns says
The premier said New South Wales police have arrested 10 people over the last week and a half “for malicious damage, fire damage, graffiti attacks” in the state. He continued:
No stone will be left unturned … in order to catch individuals who are responsible for these activities.
‘Bastards’ targeted Maroubra school in antisemitic attack, premier says
The premier, Chris Minns, is addressing press with NSW police about antisemitic attacks across the state:
The most recent example is in Maroubra this morning. It is utterly appalling and shameful that an individual would spray racist hate-filled messages on a school. It tells you everything you need to know about how appalling these bastards are that they would rip apart a school on one of the first days of school with a racist antisemitic attack.
It’s antithetical against everything that Australia believes in 2025. There are some terrible people in our community. I’m ashamed to say it – but that’s the truth. Bad morals, bad ethics, bad people that will commit these acts but Australians stand united against this appalling racism.
