NSW Greens office targeted with Islamophobic and white supremacist graffiti
Police are investigating after the New South Wales Greens’ office was graffitied with Islamophobic and white supremacist messages.
The graffiti, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning at the office in inner west Sydney, called an Islamic prophet a white supremacist.
The vandalism also criticised the Greens and hit back at vandals for targeting the Australian War Memorial, which was allegedly defaced with pro-Palestine messages in June.
“Never disrespect our war memorial,” one section of the red graffiti on the Greens office said. “Greens are enemies of Australia,” read another section.
NSW police said they were searching for a male who allegedly graffitied the office.
In response to the graffiti attack, the Greens deputy leader and spokesperson for anti-racism, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, called on the Albanese government to take action against Islamophobia and white supremacy, saying it had “sykrocketed” since the war in Gaza began.
Related: Hundreds of prominent Australians sign letter condemning ‘abhorrent’ rise in antisemitism
The vandalism on the Greens’ office comes after a spate of Labor MPs’ electorate offices were graffitied with pro-Palestine messages.
In June, federal Labor member for Macnamara, Josh Burns, warned that the “escalation of violence” in Australia over the war in Gaza would “end up in disaster” after vandals smashed, defaced and set fire to the front of his Melbourne electorate office, scrawling the words “Zionism is fascism” on the Jewish MP’s office window.
In May, a number of electorate offices – including those of Mark Dreyfus and Bill Shorten – were splashed with red paint, while others had “death to Labor” graffitied on their offices.
The graffiti attacks come amid reports of rising Islamophobia and antisemitism in Australia.
The Islamophobia Register reported in June that reports of Islamophobia had increased at least tenfold since October.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has also reported increased antisemitism, with a report finding there had been a sixfold increase in incidents during 2023.
Earlier this month, the government announced a special envoy to combat rising instances of antisemitism, appointing lawyer and the immediate past president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Jillian Segal, AO.
The announcement also included plans for a special envoy to combat Islamophobia, with the person yet to be appointed. On Thursday, the deputy prime minister Richard Marles, told ABC radio the government was still working to fill the role.
“We’re working with Muslim communities to ensure that an envoy against Islamophobia enjoys the support of the Islamic community in total and can do their work, and we will continue to work with the Islamic community until we get a person who is able to do that,” Marles said.
