Daycare Centre Set Alight And Vandalised With Antisemitic Graffiti

A daycare in Sydney’s east has been set alight and vandalised with antisemitic graffiti overnight.

Emergency services were called to Only About Children daycare centre in Maroubra just before 1am on Tuesday, where they found the phrase “fuck the Jews” spray painted in black on the building’s wall.

The centre was unoccupied during the attack, and there were no injuries were sustained, but the building was significantly damaged.

Although the daycare doesn’t have any direct ties to the Jewish community, it is close to both the Maroubra Synagogue and Mt Sinai College, an Orthodox Jewish school and preschool.

This comes after weeks of similar antisemitic attacks across Sydney.

“This is not just malicious damage or random graffiti, as appalling as that would be if it was racially motivated, these are sophisticated attacks. We are very alarmed and concerned about it,” said a police spokesperson.

“Officers attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command established a crime scene, and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident has commenced.”

Acting NSW police commissioner, Peter Thurtel, said copycat offenders could be behind the number of attacks, but police were investigating whether some of the incidents were linked.

Greens MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi issued a statement this morning condemning the “spate of Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinian hate.”

“Many of these attacks bear the mark of neo-Nazi ideology which is a threat to all of us. Racism needs to be tackled at its root cause, without politicisation or weaponisation. ”

Albanese calls national cabinet meeting

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called a national cabinet meeting of state and territory leaders to address the surge of antisemitic attacks.

“This afternoon, we will hear from the AFP commissioner, and it will be an opportunity for us to discuss collectively the responses that are being made by state and territory governments and the co-ordination with the Commonwealth,” he said.

The meeting will take place online at 5pm on Tuesday.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for a national meeting on Monday, but was dismissed by Albanese, who said the people wanted to see more action, not meetings.

Visiting the childcare centre with the Prime Minister this morning, NSW Premier Chris Minns said he was disgusted.

“I don’t believe antisemitism, antisemitic attacks, begin and end with a firebombing or a graffiti attack. I think it begins with language,” he said. “It is completely disgusting, and these bastards will be rounded up by NSW Police.