Calls for improved anti-racism strategy after alleged anti-Semitic attack in Sydney
Australia’s peak Jewish body is calling for the national anti-racism strategy to be strengthened following an alleged anti-Semitic attack in Sydney’s east.
Police say a group of eight young men attacked families who were walking home from a synagogue in Bondi late on Friday night.
The group allegedly yelled racial slurs at the families before the confrontation turned into a physical fight.
Four men and a woman were injured and taken to St Vincent’s Hospital for treatment.
One man aged in his 60s suffered a bleed on the brain. Others suffered broken bones.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry says the attack appears to be the most serious incident of spontaneous anti-Semitic violence in Australia’s recent history.
The council’s Peter Wertheim says governments need to be more proactive to ensure racism is kept in check.
He says the national anti-racism strategy needs to be strengthened and included in the education curriculum.
Police have charged three people over the Bondi assault.
Two 17-year-olds were both charged with affray and breach of bail. They are due to appear in Sydney Children’s Court today.
A 23-year-old man was also charged with affray and granted bail. He is due to appear before Waverley Local Court in early December.
Officers are still looking for five others who ran away.