Man sets fire to synagogue in East Melbourne as Israeli-owned restaurant targeted by protesters
In short:
A synagogue in East Melbourne has been the target of an arson attack while 20 people were inside.
In another incident, about 20 protesters interrupted diners at an Israeli-owned restaurant in the CBD, and on Saturday morning, a business in Melbourne's south-east was also attacked.
What's next?
Police are working to determine whether the three incidents are linked. A joint federal and state investigation is underway.
Police are investigating a third antisemitic incident that took place across Melbourne overnight.
A synagogue in East Melbourne was first set alight about 8pm on Friday, followed by a protest at an Israeli-owned restaurant in the CBD a few hours later.
On Saturday afternoon, Victoria Police revealed details about another incident that occurred at a business in Greensborough about 4:30am.
"It's understood that unknown offenders attended a business on Para Road and set fire to three cars," Acting Commander Zorka Dunstan said.
"They also used spray paint on the cars and a building wall. One of the cars was destroyed, the other two were moderately damaged."
Commander Dunstan said the incident involved "some inferences to antisemitism", and the business had been subject to pro-Palestinian activity over the past year which led police to believe it may be connected to the other two incidents from Friday.
"At this stage there are no links, but police aren't discounting them,"she said.
It comes after Australia’s national security agency, ASIO, and federal police (AFP) joined the investigation into the synagogue arson attack and restaurant protest.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the arson attack, saying "these actions have no place" in Australian society.
"It is completely unacceptable the attack that occurred at a restaurant in Melbourne, and also the attack on a business in the outer suburbs of Melbourne," Mr Albanese said in a statement.
"The fact that people were having a peaceful dinner and were disrupted by this act of violence could have had catastrophic consequences.
"It is to be hoped that the perpetrator is brought to justice urgently, and that he faces the full force of the law, and anyone involved in this attack faces the full force of the law."
The PM added that Australians had every right to practice their faith and engage with one another in peace and harmony.
The Victorian premier, opposition and police have joined members of the Australian Jewish community in condemning both attacks.
Investigators said a man entered the grounds of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation on Albert Street about 8pm on Friday, poured a flammable liquid on the front door and set it alight.
There were about 20 people inside the synagogue at the time who evacuated through the building's rear, police said.
No injuries have been reported.
Victoria Police have released images of a person they wish to speak to about the synagogue arson attack.
Victoria Police have released the image of a man detectives want to speak to about the fire.
He has been described as being of Caucasian appearance, believed to be in his 30s with a beard and long hair.
Damage from the fire was contained to the front entrance.
Police said neither of the three incidents were being treated as an act of terrorism at this stage, with the "intent and ideology" of the perpetrators yet to be clarified.
Friday's arson attack was the second on a Jewish place of worship in Melbourne since December, when a fire destroyed the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea in the city's inner south-east.
Last month, authorities raided a number of homes in Melbourne's north in relation to the Adass Israel attack and released CCTV vision of the incident.
Police say about 20 people inside the synagogue when the attack happened escaped without injury. (ABC News)
Rabbi Dovid Gutnick was inside the synagogue at the time of the attack.
He said there had been a large number of people in the congregation, including locals, families and tourists, for the regular Friday service earlier.
He said some people remained to eat dinner when they began to notice some strange movements on their security camera feed.
He said someone began ringing the doorbell and then smoke began entering the building.
"I feel like if we didn't have a fire station on the corner and if we weren't as vigilant as we had been training ourselves to be, it could have been a lot worse,"Rabbi Gutnick said.
Police say about 20 people were inside the synagogue when the attack happened but all escaped without injury. (ABC News: Rachel Clayton)
Rabbi Gutnick said he believed the CCTV footage showed the attack was "well prepared" and deliberate.
"There's certainly kind of a pall or some type of darkness hovering at the moment and it's a bit uncomfortable, it's upsetting," he said.
"But at the same time, it kind of makes a synagogue like ours, our work even more important — to be welcoming, to be a beacon."
Jenny Segal, who was having dinner inside the synagogue when the fire broke out, said the incident was frightening.
"It was a very, very big night, very scary, but everybody was safe," she said.
"I'm really shocked and can't believe that that could happen in our beautiful city and we always felt safe here but this is another feeling now after what's happened last night. It's very strange."
Police said about 20 protesters shouted offensive chants at the Israeli-owned Miznon restaurant on Friday night. (ABC News)
Police have confirmed it was a targeted attack.
Restaurant protest staged in opposition to new Gaza aid group
Investigations also remain ongoing into the incident at Miznon restaurant, which followed a protest involving around 70 people on Swanston Street earlier in the evening.
A group of 20 protesters continued to the Hardware Lane restaurant, where they shouted offensive chants.
"Victoria Police continues to support the rights of Victorians to protest peacefully but will not tolerate the kind of anti-social and violent behaviour that was witnessed this evening," police said in a statement.
Acting Commander Zorka Dunstan said diners had been interrupted at the restaurant, as well as tables turned over and a window damaged.
Miznon restaurant in Hardware Lane reopened on Saturday after the Friday night incident. (ABC News)
Josh Stanyer, a photojournalist who had followed the earlier rally and the smaller group to Miznon restaurant, said that disorder took place only after all patrons had vacated the premises.
"There were a handful of people inside, staff and diners, and there was a confrontation between staff members and a handful of protesters who were blocking the doorway when staff were attempting to close the door," he said.
"Shortly after that, police and the public order response team arrived and started closing in on the rally.
"People started dispersing and while they were leaving, some protesters were flipping tables and throwing chairs, but by that point all the diners had cleared out."
A 28-year-old from Footscray was arrested and released on summons for hindering police.
In a statement posted to social media, the group behind a No Police at Protests movement, which marched from the State Library to Miznon on Friday, said it targeted the restaurant because it was part-owned by Israeli businessman Shahar Segal.
Mr Segal is a spokesman for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli and US-backed organisation that has been criticised for how it distributes aid in Gaza.
But the group denied that incident was linked to the attack at the synagogue.
"Pro-Palestinian activists have never attacked places of worship, and we condemn such attacks," the statement read.
The group said it was not responsible for throwing bollards and that was done by "young teenagers" trying to taunt the protesters.
Australian leaders, Israeli foreign minister condemn attacks
Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines announced on Saturday morning that he had spoken with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
"The full resources of ASIO and the AFP are backing Victoria Police in their investigations into both the attempted arson at the Melbourne East synagogue overnight, also the intimidation and violence that we saw at the restaurant in the CBD," Mr Carbines said.
"Those who think they can set fire to a place of worship overnight that is full of worshippers, that is a heinous act, a horrific act, a criminal act and people will be held to account for it."
Police Minister Anthony Carbines described the arson attack as a horrific act. (ABC News)
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she stood with the Jewish community in its fight against hate, violence and fear.
"This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards," Ms Allan said.
"That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent."
She said the attack was designed to shatter the peace and traumatise Jewish families.
"Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate, and any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism.
"There should be no hesitation in calling this what it is."
Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar posted to X urging the Australian government to do more to counter antisemitism.
"I strongly condemn last night's vile antisemitic attacks in Melbourne, including the arson attack on the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue and the targeted violence at the Israeli restaurant Miznon," he said.
"Israel stands firmly with the Jewish community in Australia."
Police say they are engaging with people from the synagogue and other representatives from the Jewish community to ensure appropriate supports are in place. (ABC News)
Federal Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Anne Aly, said she and Mr Bourke had spoken to Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jill Segal, about the need for broader education about the "insidious nature of antisemitism and the impact it has on Jewish Australians".
Shadow Police Minister David Southwick is Jewish and his electorate includes a large section of Melbourne's Jewish community.
He said the attacks must be treated as hate crimes.
"We just cannot have a situation where the city of Melbourne is being hijacked by these activists and really want to play out what's happening in the Middle East thousands of miles away.
"It has nothing to do with Melburnians, it has nothing to do with many Jews in Melbourne who just want to get on with their lives."
He said the synagogue targeted by the arsonist was one of the oldest in Melbourne, dating back to the 1870s.
The East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue is one of the city's oldest Jewish places of worship. (ABC News: Rachel Clayton)
Rabbi Gutnick said security may be tightened around the synagogue to make it harder to access the building.
"But you also want the synagogue to be welcoming," he said.
"We're part of a faith precinct — St Peter's, St Patrick's, the Lutheran church … it's a beautiful space, it's peaceful, by and large, we all get along, we have a clergy meeting once a month … it's a lovely part of town, you'd hate to think we'd turn it into Fort Knox."
One of the leaders of a neighbouring church arrived at the scene on Saturday morning to support Rabbi Gutnick.
Jewish community leaders have thanked members of the public who have showed support to the congregation after the attack. (ABC News: Rachel Clayton)
Jewish Community Council of Victoria CEO Naomi Levin said she was heartened by the number of passers-by who stopped to offer support and sympathy to members of the congregation.
"[Melbourne's] Lord Mayor Nick Reece was there, staff from the premier's office came down," she said.
"It just showed that [the attackers] are outliers. These are extremists, this is not who we are, Australians are not violent or aggressive."
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley called the arson attack "horrifying".
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the party's thoughts were with the impacted families and broader Jewish community at a time of understandable distress.
"Everyone should be able to feel safe in their places of worship and community gatherings and attacks like this cannot be tolerated. Hate has no place in our communities and hurts us all," she said.
Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dvir Abramovich, said the synagogue attack was barbaric and could have been fatal.
"They came armed with hatred," Dr Abramovich said.
"We are not asking for sympathy. We want action. We want justice. We want protection," he said.