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On a much darker note, there have been increasing signs of nastiness in the campaign with reports of anti-Semitic graffiti. A week ago, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s posters were daubed with swastikas.
Now, there’s been more. The ACT police are investigating a spate of far-right vandalism on election corflutes, including anti-Semitic messages defacing ACT Senate candidate Kim Rubenstein’s material.
The Anti-Defamation Commission, which campaigns against anti-Semitism and other forms of racism, said the defacements showed there was an “explosion in virulent antisemitism”.
“There is no doubt that these hardcore bigots who are growing appreciably more agitated and emboldened, are waging a national campaign of neo-Nazi harassment, ratcheting up their intimidation in an attempt to expand their base and recruit new members to their warped cause,” Dr Dvir Abramovich who chairs the commission said.
“This is a hate crime, pure and simple, and the escalating virus of anti-Jewish prejudice that is spreading like wildfire has to stop.”
Read the article by Steve Evans in The Canberra Times.