A special taskforce is investigating antisemitism in Australia after the terrorist arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, as Australia’s intelligence chief warns of “ugly dynamics” and politically motivated violence related to conflicts in the Middle East.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) director general, Mike Burgess, urged all Australians to “watch our words”, raising concerns about rhetoric leading to inflamed tensions. The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said Friday’s fire at the Adass Israel called for a “time for national unity”, in a veiled swipe at the Coalition’s escalating criticism of the government after Peter Dutton levelled an extraordinary attack at Labor MP Josh Burns.
Dutton earlier claimed Burns – who is Jewish – “hasn’t stood up to a weak prime minister”. Burns, who brushed off the comments, has been a constant presence in the media in calling out antisemitism, and given numerous statements and speeches about anti-Jewish sentiment, including standing alongside the shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, at the Ripponlea synagogue just hours after the arson attack.
“It’s not a time for some political leaders and some political parties to be looking for difference,” Dreyfus said.
The Australian federal police (AFP) and Asio chiefs joined the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, at a Canberra press conference on Monday afternoon to announce special operation Avalite, which will focus on antisemitism against community members and elected officials. Officials pointed to three separate arson attacks: the synagogue incident, being investigated as a likely terror act by Victorian police, as well as the torching of cars in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and vandalism on Burns’s electorate office in June.
“Unfortunately, in Australia today, those of Jewish ethnicity or religion are being targeted because of who they are … This needs to stop,” AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw said.
“Special operation Avalite will be an agile and experienced squad of counter-terrorism investigators who will focus on threats, violence, and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians. In essence, they will be a flying squad to deploy nationally to incidents.”
Kershaw said the taskforce would also focus on the use of carriage services to threaten, menace or harass Jewish Australians.
“From today, the AFP will take a greater role,” he said.
Burgess said Asio would assist in operation Avalite, as well as conducting broader investigations on potential future terror threats. He said officials had no intelligence to suggest any ongoing threat related to the synagogue arson attack, and that Australia’s terror level remained “probable”.
“Sadly, this appalling incident appears to embody the ugly dynamics that Asio has been warning about. Politically motivated violence is now one of Asio’s and this country’s principal security concerns,” Burgess said.
“Australia’s security environment is volatile and unpredictable. Anti-authority beliefs continue to grow. Grievances are spreading. Provocative and inflammatory language are being normalised … Inflamed language leads to inflamed tension, and that can lead to violence. We all need to watch our words.”
Albanese on Monday said his government had “consistently taken action”. “We’ll continue to do so,” he said.
He highlighted the government’s ban on the Nazi salute and other hate symbols, the appointment of Jillian Segal as Australia’s first special envoy on antisemitism, its anti-doxing legislation, the millions committed to security at Jewish community sites, its support of Israel’s right to defend itself in the context of the Middle East war, and its call for a halt to a pro-Palestine rally at the Sydney Opera House.
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Paterson on Monday also appeared to link the Ripponlea fire to Labor’s stance on antisemitism, claiming that the government should have directed federal police to target anti-Jewish hatred more strongly.
Asked if the government could have done more to stop such attacks, Burgess said: “I think it’s a hard call to put something on government to stop people doing the wrong thing.”
During the Monday afternoon press conference, Dutton met with community leaders. The opposition leader called the arson attack “a shocking circumstance for every Australian”.
“When you look at the devastation that’s been wreaked upon a place of worship, it has no place in our country whatsoever,” he said. “This really is evil. And we need to make sure that the antisemitism that has now become commonplace in our society is repelled at every opportunity.”
Albanese said he would visit the synagogue this week. He defended his response to the attack, noting he had spent the day in national security and cabinet meetings, and received daily AFP briefings.
News Corp had published photos of Albanese playing tennis at Cottesloe beach on Saturday afternoon, as he spent three days on a Western Australian visit he said was long-planned.
Asked about the timing, Albanese insisted the tennis games were a reasonable exercise break after a day of appointments.
“That’s what people do. On Saturday morning, I was in a synagogue … I attended the barmitzvah of a young boy there and I was very much welcomed there,” he said.
