Three charged in anti-Israel rampage at Israeli-owned restaurant in Melbourne amid surge in antisemitic attacks

The incident occurred the same night a synagogue in Melbourne was targeted in an arson attack while worshipers were inside.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, TPS

Three people have been charged with assault and other offenses after anti-Israel protesters vandalized an Israeli-owned restaurant in Melbourne over the weekend, marking the latest episode in a wave of antisemitic incidents that has shocked Australia and prompted a stronger government response.

According to Victoria State Police, a 50-year-old man and two women aged 48 and 28 have been charged with assault, affray, riotous behavior, and criminal damage.

The investigation is still ongoing to determine who else was involved in the altercation.

On Friday, a group of around 20 protesters stormed a Jewish-owned restaurant, Miznon, in Melbourne’s central business district, vandalizing the property while shouting antisemitic slurs and offensive slogans.

According to local reports, the group chanted, “Death to the IDF” (the Israel Defense Forces), as they approached the restaurant, leaving customers frightened as protesters threw food, smashed windows, and overturned tables.

This demonstration was organized by the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance — a pro-Palestinian activist group.

In a statement posted on social media, the group said the restaurant was targeted because it is owned by Shahar Segal, an Israeli businessman and spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli- and US-backed organization criticized for its aid distribution in Gaza.

“If a person openly supports the terrorist state of Israel, especially what Amnesty International describes as their ‘deadly, dehumanizing and ineffective militarized aid scheme,’ they and their business are a fair target,” the activist group said.

For its part, the Israeli restaurant Miznon released a statement on Tuesday saying the events on Friday had a “profound impact” on its staff and customers, and called for respect and understanding moving forward.

“We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome. Our greatest joy is to feed people from every background and viewpoint and to see the joy on people’s faces as they enjoy our food and each other’s company. That is our purpose and our objective,” the statement read.

“All our staff and customers are coming from different backgrounds and cultures. We respect everyone’s right to their own nationality and religion. We ask for the same,” it continued.

The incident occurred the same night a synagogue in Melbourne was targeted in an arson attack while worshipers were inside, as part of a string of antisemitic hate crimes that also saw several nearby Jewish-owned cars torched and spray-painted with hateful slogans.

On Saturday night, local authorities arrested a 34-year-old Sydney resident in connection with the Shabbat prayer attack, charging him with multiple offenses, including criminal damage by fire.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the synagogue arson attack as a “cowardly act of violence and antisemitism” and urged authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrator to justice.

The nonprofit Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) also condemned Friday’s incidents, calling them “another escalation in the unprecedented wave of antisemitic incidents taking place in Australia.”

The organization’s CEO, Sacha Roytman, described the synagogue arson attack as an “attempted murder that miraculously ended without casualties” and called for it to be treated as a terrorist incident.

“We call on the Australian government, local authorities, and leaders from all sectors to take these grave events seriously,” Roytman said in a statement.

“The Australian government must take immediate action to protect the Jewish community, which has lost its sense of personal security — and fears that the situation will worsen even further.”