A second man has been charged after more than 10 cars and several homes and businesses were defaced with anti-Israel slurs in an elite Sydney suburb.
Celebrity chef Matt Moran‘s Chiswick restaurant was among the three premises that were vandalised at Woollahra during the attack at 12.35am on Thursday.
Multiple cars were covered in white spray paint that read ‘f**k Israel‘ while a vehicle was set alight leaving behind a trail of $70,000 worth of damages.
The damage to the buildings is estimated to be between $20,000 to $30,000.
On Thursday, a 19-year-old man was arrested at a home on Queen Street in Arncliffe over his alleged role in the incident, NSW Police said in a statement.
He was taken to Kogarah Police Station and charged with 21 offences.
The teenager was refused bail and was scheduled to appear before Sutherland Local Court on Thursday.
It comes just days after a 20-year-old man had been arrested at Sydney Airport in Mascot – a 20 minute drive away from the scene.
He was taken to a police station and charged with 21 offences that include 14 counts of destroy or damage property.
Three counts enter building with intent to commit indictable offence, two counts pf destroy property in company use fire, face blackened/disguised to commit indictable offence and behave in an offensive manner in public place were among the other charges.
He was refused bail and appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Monday.
Chiswick is co-owned by Mr Moran and Elliot Solomon, the Jewish CEO of Solotel Group.
The letters ‘PKK’ were also seen on multiple cars and the windows of Chiswick.
PKK could refer to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party which some countries, including Australia, have designated a terrorist organisation.
Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory told Daily Mail Australia the government has not taken its concerns seriously.
‘It is absolutely shocking to see political violence like this play out in the streets of Australia,’ he said.
‘There is no justification for targeting Jews and other Australians over a conflict on the other side of the world.
‘Labor has looked on as an increasingly violent anti-Israel movement has taken over Australian streets.
‘The Jewish community has been begging authorities to take this seriously.
‘Many feel that Labor refuses to act because it is too focused on winning votes in Western Sydney.
‘When Australians are being prevented from taking their children to see the Myer Christmas windows or told to stay at home for their own safety because the Opera House steps were taken over by an anti-Semitic mob, it’s clear we have a problem.
‘It’s time for decent Australians to reclaim our streets from this ‘Free Palestine’ hate movement.’
Dr Dvir Abramovich from the Anti-Defamation Commission said the ‘cowardly’ attack was a ‘frontal assault on our values and on decency’ and would only ‘ignite the resolve’ of the Jewish community.
‘This hate crime is the direct result of the unrelenting incitement against Israel and the explosion of anti-Semitism we are witnessing around the nation,’ he said.
‘Words have real-world consequences, and this is proof of what happens when rhetoric becomes violence.
‘To those responsible, hear this: your hatred has no place here. You may think you can silence us with fire and venom, but you’ve only ignited our resolve.
‘The Jewish community has faced darkness before, and each time we have risen stronger.’
