Premier Confronts ‘Horrific’ Synagogue Attack with Jewish Leaders

A new anti-hate taskforce will be assembled by the Allan government as it scrambles to beef up efforts to address antisemitism in Victoria, following a new round of attacks on Friday.

On Monday morning, Premier Jacinta Allan visited the East Melbourne Synagogue, which was targeted in the attacks. She said that members of the Jewish community told her of their hope for a more positive future.

Speaking outside the City Shul, Allan said members of the synagogue’s congregation shared their stories of the “horrific, hateful” experience that came to their front door on Friday evening.

“[But Rabbi Dovid Gutnick] said: ‘Out of this negative experience of hate, is the opportunity to springboard forward to a stronger, positive future,’” Allan told reporters on Monday.

“Just as the fire came to the front door here of this Shul, but it was stopped, so too must we put a stop to hate, put a stop to antisemitism.

“Not only does it have no place here in Melbourne and Victoria, it has no place anywhere.”

The Allan government’s new anti-hate taskforce will meet this week for the first time.

In a statement to

The Age,

the premier said the group would initially include state government representatives, including herself, the police minister, Lord Mayor Nick Reece and police representatives, but its membership would grow over time. Invitations will also be sent to members of Melbourne’s Jewish community for the taskforce’s first meeting.

“I’ll continue to stand with a strong, proud Jewish community here in Victoria every single day,” Allan told reporters. “They demand our support at this most difficult time, they demand our action.”

In Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday,
pro-Palestinian protesters, including children, chanted “Death to the IDF”
at a demonstration that went ahead less than 48 hours after the antisemitic attacks, which included the alleged arson attack on East Melbourne Synagogue while children and families were inside.

Despite a rally organiser’s condemnation of that attack earlier in the protest, two pre-teen Melbourne sisters, who had previously made remarks about the suffering of children their age in Gaza, led chants of “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]” and “Death, death to the IOF [Israeli Occupying Force]”.

On the same night as
Friday’s synagogue attack
, a group of 20 people stormed Israeli restaurant Miznon in the CBD, upturning tables and chanting, distressing diners.

Police are also investigating a third incident, on Saturday morning, in which three cars were set on fire and the wall of a Greensborough business was spray-painted with graffiti. On Monday,
investigators released footage
showing five hooded figures setting the vehicles alight and scrawling slogans on the burning cars. They then fled through a back fence and escaped on e-bikes.

On Sunday, counterterrorism detectives charged Sydney man Angelo Loras over the alleged arson attack at the synagogue, while police continue to investigate the storming of the restaurant. The 34-year-old appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and was remanded until July 22. The court heard it was the accused’s first time in custody.

Police said they were still trying to determine whether to classify the alleged arson as an act of terror.

A police source, who cannot be identified speaking about operational matters, said at least one of those who invaded the restaurant was part of a group known to counter-terrorism police for sometimes organising left-wing protests that turned violent.

Victoria Police declined to comment on the identity of the person or the nature of the groups involved.

In a statement, Allan described the attack on the synagogue as a “sickening” crime. She said her government would soon receive the Lekakis review into the multicultural sector, which is expected to make recommendations about requiring organisations to sign a “social cohesion pledge” before receiving funding.

At the pro-Palestinian protest on Sunday, a protest leader opened the event by condemning the attack on the synagogue, where 20 worshippers were gathered for a meal on the weekly Jewish holy day of Shabbat, on Friday night.

A large, watermelon-inspired sign reading “Ceasefire Now” led the marchers down Swanston Street. Other protesters carried signs reading “Death, death to the IDF”, “Glory to the Martyrs” and “You’re sick of us? We’re sick of Israel killing children”.

Speakers at the rally focused heavily on the killing by Israeli forces of hundreds of starving Palestinian civilians as they tried to secure food at the stations run by the
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
.

State Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the government should give police stronger powers to move on protesters, which the Coalition has pledged to reintroduce if elected.

“When we had those laws here in Victoria, the police had the power to move people on, and protests like this could be stopped before they got to the stage they are these days,” Battin said on Sunday. “There needs to be some big changes so you can feel safe in the community as a Jewish person living here in Victoria.”

Battin said police officers wanted the laws and there would be a “clear vote” on the issue at the 2026 election.

In December, the Allan government pledged new measures to tackle a rise in antisemitic incidents, including the
arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue
in Ripponlea.

These included bans on the display of flags and symbols from listed terrorist organisations in public, face masks at protests and the use of glue, rope, chains and other attachment devices to cause disruptions.

New laws will also be introduced to protect places of worship, with consultation under way on the best methods, including the potential establishment of “safe access areas” prohibiting protests, or the strengthening of existing offences.

Allan government minister Colin Brooks said the government condemned Friday’s attacks, and pointed to the government’s forthcoming legislation.

“It’s not protest; that is hate-fuelled mob violence and crime,” he said.

“The premier’s been very strong on this. We’ve seen the police respond very quickly … There’s a lot of work that the Victorian government is doing to stamp this out.”

Liberal MP David Southwick said the government should have already implemented its proposed laws, given it was seven months after they were announced.

“The Jewish community feel under siege,” he said. “What is the government waiting for? We saw it happen at Adass. It should have been a warning sign for the government to get off their backsides and ensure that the community can be kept safe.”

A source in the pro-Palestine movement, who asked to speak anonymously, said the protesters at Miznon were “dickheads that think they are righteous and have the right to impact innocent bystanders.

“It ruins public opinion – they do it in Palestine’s name and not one Palestinian was there.”

The Whistleblowers, Activists & Communities Alliance, a group tied to the storming of the Miznon restaurant, urged the public to “
stop clutching their pearls
” and instead focus on the conflict in Gaza.

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