The ramming of the gates to Brisbane’s largest synagogue is “an attack on all of us,” says the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies.
Police have charged a man with forcibly reversing his Toyota Hilux utility into the gates of the synagogue on Margaret Street in Brisbane’s CBD shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday.
The driver fled the scene before being taken into custody a short time later.
No one was injured during the incident although footage shows a person standing behind the gates, in the ute’s path, as it approached.
Libby Burke, vice president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, said their community was deeply distressed that a place of worship had been targeted.
“This attack is not only an attack on my community, it is an attack on all of us,” she said.
“A synagogue is a sacred space—a place of prayer, reflection and community.
“To see its gates viciously rammed is profoundly devastating and is not dissimilar to what we have seen throughout the globe.”
A 32-year-old Sunnybank man faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with wilful damage, serious vilification or hate crime.
He is also accused of dangerously operating a vehicle and possessing dangerous drugs and the utensils for their use.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said he had spoken to Jewish leaders as well as police.
“I want to assure Queenslanders we are taking this seriously,” he wrote on social media.
“This is another signal as to why we have put strong laws before parliament to protect all people where they worship.”
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich condemned what he called “a chilling assault on a sacred place of worship and a stark reminder anti-Semitism ... is escalating beyond words.”
The Jewish Board’s Burke was given the opportunity to address the media ahead of a police press conference on Saturday.
“Words matter. Hateful slogans and symbols create the environment in which violence becomes possible,” she said.
“That is precisely why we need strong legislation to criminalise acts of hate that are directly targeting Jewish Queenslanders.”
But an inquiry into the proposed legislation has been told multiple stakeholders were not consulted before the bill was drafted.
The Federation of Islamic Councils, the Islamic Council of Queensland and the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland all told the state’s parliamentary committee for justice, integrity and community safety that they had been bypassed.
Under the laws, Queensland’s attorney-general would have the power to outlaw the phrases “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada,” the public uttering of which would be punishable by two years in prison.
Police say their investigation into Friday evening’s incident is ongoing.
