Posters, salutes, threats: Antisemitism erupts across Australia

In 2024, antisemitic incidents soared by about 400 percent to 2,062, then dropped to the still astronomic number of 1,654 in 2025.

By Dinah Bucholz, Jewish Breaking News

Dozens of posters featuring one of the Bondi Beach shooters mysteriously appeared in various locations throughout Melbourne, Australia, including the central business district and inner suburbs.

Police began removing the posters within an hour of their appearance, as required by law.

The posters, bearing the word “Aussie,” evoked a poster series by Australian artist Peter Drew called “Aussie” that champions racial diversity and is well known in Australia.

However, a crosshair superimposed on 24-year-old Naveed Akram’s photo left many wondering if the posters were anti-Jewish or expressing support for the Jewish community.

In another incident, University of Sydney staffer Rose Nakad pleaded not guilty to stalking charges this week. Video footage had shown her harassing Jewish people celebrating the holiday of Sukkot in October.

“Are you a Zionist?” she asked the Jews in the video. “In your name, they’re shredding children bit by bit. … You should be making it stop. You’re disgusting. You are depraved. … You are depraved baby-killers.”

Nakad was fired from her position in December.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which tracks hate crimes against Jews, noted in December the skyrocketing of incidents since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, with the number rising to 495 that year, breaking a record from 10 years ago.

In 2024, that number soared by about 400 percent to 2,062, then dropped to the still astronomic number of 1,654 in 2025.

A man was indicted for a hate crime after flashing a Nazi salute at children at an airport in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old hailed from Greenvale, Melbourne, and the incident occurred at a terminal in Melbourne Airport.

After he left the airport, the matter was reported to police, who identified him by reviewing security camera footage and interviewing witnesses. They later at apprehended him at his home in Greenvale.

A judge sentenced a man to 14 months of community service on Wednesday for making death threats against Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, and the former president of the association, David Adler.

He threatened the two that, if they followed through on appearing at a Senate committee as planned, he would kill them.

Gregory said in a statement, “The AJA, like many in the Jewish community, receives an alarming number of threats, the vast majority of which go unpunished. We therefore welcome this outcome.”