Tara Murray
Anti-Semitic graffiti found in the Keilor area has been condemned by police and Australia’s leading civil rights organisations.
Spray painted Swastika symbols were recently found at Caroline Chisholm Park in Keilor, while there have also been report of homophobic graffiti in the area.
Brimbank council has since removed the graffiti and reported it to police.
Brimbank infrastructure and city services director Neil Whiteside said the graffiti “has no place in our community“.
Keilor Downs senior sergeant Adam Beauliv said police would increase patrols around Caroline Chisholm Park in response to the graffiti.
Anti-Semitic graffiti has also been reported in Broadmeadows and Mernda in the last two weeks.
Northern suburbs MP Andrew Giles has launched a petition calling on the community to “reject this sort of hate“.
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said the reports were troubling and ominous.
“Parents taking their children for a walk in a park should not be confronted with these disturbing messages. Whenever such incidents happen, there is chilling emotional damage on all community members,“ Dr Abramovich said.
“This craven display of intolerance against people of all faiths is a sad reminder of the lengths extremists will go to express their unbridled bigotry and serves as a wake-up call that anti-Semitism and racism are on the rise.
“We know that propaganda efforts by these hardcore racists are on the increase, and these incidents are the latest in a string of similar attempts to spread this dangerous agenda across Melbourne.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said everyone had the right to feel safe in the community.
“We understand incidents of anti-Semitism can leave communities feeling targeted, threatened and vulnerable. These incidents have no place in our society.
“There is no excuse to engage in behaviour that promotes fear or hate in our community.
“We treat any report of anti-Semitism seriously, whether it happens on the street or online.“
