Australian man charged for calling org and making antisemitic comments

"If you engage in antisemitic conduct, you will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

By MICHAEL STARR FEBRUARY 5, 2025 14:23

A police vehicle with a smashed windshield is seen after police held back an angry mob following a stabbing at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley in Sydney, Australia, April 15, 2024. (photo credit: AAP IMAGE/PAUL BRAVEN VIA REUTERS)

A Victoria man was charged Wednesday for calling a Canberra political organization office and making antisemitic comments, the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police announced in a joint statement.

The Toorloo Arm man was charged with one count of "using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence" for calling an organization twice on January 21 and making antisemitic and abusive statements.

The 64-year-old was arrested on Wednesday morning during a traffic stop in Lakes Entrance and will appear before the Bairnsdale Magistrates Court on March 26. The offense carries a maximum penalty of five years prison.

“It is abhorrent that parliamentarians and members of our community are being targeted and threatened because of their race or religious views,” AFP Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said in a statement. "If you engage in antisemitic conduct, you will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Members of the Synagogue recover items from the Adass Israel Synagogue on December 06, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (credit: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Nutt said that investigators were reviewing other cases and further charges should be expected soon.

The charge is the second under the AFP's Special Operation Avalite, which had been announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw on December 9 in the wake of the arson terrorist attack against Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue.

Death threats

A Sydney man was charged under Operation Avalite on January 16 for allegedly making death threats to members of the Australian Jewish Association on social media.

As antisemitic crime has continued to plague Australia and the greater Sydney area in particular, New South Wales mayors announced a Thursday Mayoral Roundtable to address attacks and violence in their communities.

Waverly Mayor Will Nemesh said on Facebook Wednesday that he, Woollahra Mayor Sarah Swan, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun, and Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker would "propose opportunities to further collaborate at a Local Government level and strengthen our social cohesion for a brighter tomorrow."

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said on social media that the effort was an example of grassroots leadership to foster unity and safety.