A council election has turned nasty and a Jewish candidate left shaken by a disturbing anti-Semitic and homophobic attacks on his campaign posters, prompting calls for those behind the “repugnant” vandalism to be hauled before the courts.
A Jewish Port Phillip Council candidate says he is “distraught” after Hitler moustaches and anti-Semitic slurs were scrawled on his campaign posters.
Former mayor, Dick Gross, told the Leader the “deeply troubling” graffiti, which included the numerals ‘666’ stamped across his forehead, was “abhorrent and completely unacceptable”.
“For the past few years I have seen anti-Semitism in may guises and manifestations — it is a creeping cancer rapidly metastasising,” he said.
“If we don’t fight this, it will grow and it must stop.
“666 is the devil’s number which is often used when accusing Jews of … being the devil’s spawn.
“It’s crude and offensive and completely unacceptable.”
This is not the first time Cr Gross has been subject to “disgusting” anti-Semitic attacks.
During a 2017 council meeting, Cr Gross was the target of a tasteless publicity stunt when someone, believed to be a member of the Greens party, left 30 pieces of silver on his desk after he flipped his vote in the mayoral election.
The nasty manoeuvre came just days after posts on Greens’ Facebook pages claimed Labor and Liberal-affiliated councillors had teamed up to block Cr Katherine Copsey’s bid for the mayor position.
Read the article by Jordana Atkinson in the Herald Sun.