Australian police say anti-Semitic crimes may be funded overseas

Australia’s Federal Police have said they are investigating whether “foreign actors or individuals” are paying criminals to commit anti-Semitic crimes in the country.

There have been several such incidents in recent months, the latest of which saw a child care center in Sydney set on fire and anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed. No one was injured.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called a quick cabinet meeting in response, where officials agreed to set up a national database to track anti-Semitic incidents.

So far, the federal police taskforce set up in December to investigate such incidents has received more than 166 reports of anti-Semitic crimes.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw said, “We are investigating whether foreign actors or individuals have paid local criminals in Australia to commit some of these crimes in our suburbs ” He said it was possible that cryptocurrencies were involved.

Mr Kershaw said it could take longer to identify the digital currency.

The commissioner said the police are also investigating whether young people are committing these crimes and whether they have been radicalized online.

However, Mr Kershaw warned, “intelligence does not equate to evidence” and more charges were expected soon.

Last week, a Sydney man became the first person to be charged by a federal taskforce, called Special Operation Evelight, over alleged death threats made to a Jewish organization.

Albanese said the incident at a child care center in the eastern Sydney suburb of Maroubra on Tuesday was “cowardly as well as disgusting” and described it as a “hate crime”.

“This was an attack targeting the Jewish community. And it is a crime that concerns us all because it is also an attack on the nation and society we have built together,” he wrote on social media.

The Jewish Council of Australia, which was founded last year to protest anti-Semitism, said it “strongly condemns” this and all similar incidents.

“These actions underscore the urgent need for collaboration, education and community dialogue to combat bias and promote understanding,” it said in a statement.

Most of the recent incidents have occurred in Sydney and include anti-Semitic graffiti, arson and vandalism of buildings including synagogues.

New South Wales has set up its own state-level taskforce to address these incidents and so far 36 people have been charged with anti-Semitic offences.

70 more arrests have been made for similar crimes in the neighboring state of Victoria Last month a synagogue was set on fire.