Nazi swastikas have been found painted in Melbourne’s east and southeastern suburbs, a week before a ban on the symbols is enforced in Victoria.
Two swastikas were discovered in the past week at the Central Gardens in Hawthorn and on a fence in Brighton, while an anti-Semitic phrase was found painted on a Cheltenham garage last Sunday.
A woman whose relatives died in the Holocaust discovered the Brighton swastika. She said the ordeal distressing.
“My great-grandparents and extended family were murdered in the Shoah (Holocaust), which I am always aware of,” she told AAP.
“Seeing this sign of hatred caused me great stress and pain. I can’t believe this is happening in Melbourne.”
A Menorah displayed at the Elwood Beach foreshore was ripped down on Wednesday and thrown into the water, Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich told AAP.
He said the Nazi symbols and anti-Semitic phases were being used to drive hate in the lead up to the swastika ban.
From December 29, it will be a criminal offence in Victoria to display the symbol in public.
Those who do will face penalties of up to nearly $22,000, 12 months in jail, or both.
Dr Abramovich said the ban sent the “unmistakable message” anti-Semitism won’t be tolerated.
Read the article by Tara Cosoleto in The Canberra Times.