Antisemitism on the rise in Australia
Published in The Australian Jewish News
November 30, 2017
“Where are your striped pyjamas?”
It was the question that pre-empted a vicious anti-Semitic assault upon a Jewish school student on a public bus in Sydney earlier this year. The attacker spat on the victim before kicking and punching him in the chest.
This is just one of 230 incidents reported nationally in the past 12 months, documented in the 2017 Report on Anti-Semitism in Australia released by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).
The report notes an increase of anti-Semitic incidents in Australia by almost 10 per cent – ranging from physical assaults, abuse and harassment; to vandalism, graffiti, hate and threats communicated directly by email, letters, telephone calls, and leaflets.