Australia: Car with Hanukkah sign set on fire in suspected antisemitic attack days after Bondi shooting

Key Highlights

• The car was empty at the time of the fire.“Detectives have identified a person who may be able to assist with their investigation and they are actively searching for and making enquiries into their whereabouts,” police said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADThe investigation comes amid heightened concerns over hate crimes targeting the Jewish community.
• Authorities across Australia are reviewing and stiffening laws and penalties in response to antisemitic attacks. More from World The cost of moral evasion: How antisemitism and anti-India terror share the same justifications Australia PM to invite Israeli president for official visit after Bondi beach shootingAlso read | Bondi Beach attack signals alarming resurgence of Islamic StateA community on edgeRabbi Effy Block, of the local Chabad of St Kilda, called the incident a clear act of antisemitism.
• “Thank God no people were harmed,” he told AFP.“But this is a continuing escalation, where we see these events happening again and again,” he added.
• “My Jewish community in St Kilda and Melbourne do not feel safe in their own homes and country.”The Melbourne car fire comes just 11 days after a mass shooting at a Hanukkah festival on Bondi Beach in Sydney left 15 people dead and several others injured.
• The attack, which targeted Jewish worshippers celebrating the festival, sent shockwaves across the country and sparked a nationwide conversation about antisemitism and public safety.