NSW Police Investigate Swastika Vandalism at Jewish Sandwich Shop

Police confirmed they received a report of malicious damage on March 26. Initial inquiries indicated the vandalism took place on March 21.

A municipal worker cleans swastikas spray painted on columns of the Rivoli street in central Paris, France, on Oct. 11, 2020. Stephane De Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images

New South Wales Police have launched an investigation after a swastika was allegedly etched into the window of a Jewish-owned bagel and sandwich shop in Paddington.

The incident occurred at Lox in a Box on Oxford Street, with police confirming they received a report of malicious damage on March 26. Initial inquiries indicated the vandalism took place on March 21.

“Officers attached to Surry Hills Police Area Command have commenced an investigation after receiving a report of malicious damage at a business on Oxford Street, Paddington, about 12 p.m. today,” a NSW Police spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

Authorities are urging anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

In an Instagram post, the business owner, who is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, said they were deeply shocked by the vandalism.

“I stood there in shock, thinking about what that symbol represents. What it has meant to my people. What it has cost us, generation after generation,” the post read.

“Today felt like a punch that landed deeper than most.”

However, the owner said they would not be intimidated by the threat and would continue to operate the business as usual.

“We will not let this break us. We will not let it close our doors or dim the light of something we’ve worked so hard to build,” they said.

“That is what hate wants and we refuse to give it that.”

Police investigations into the Paddington incident are ongoing.

Rising Anti-Semitic Incidents

The incident comes amid a broader rise in anti-Semitic acts across Australia following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

In December 2025, a terrorist attack during Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach in Sydney left 15 people dead and more than 40 wounded. In response, the NSW government introduced legal reforms, including tighter gun laws and temporary restrictions on public assemblies.

Premier Chris Minns also flagged a ban on the phrase “globalise the intifada”, stating there was no place in NSW for slogans or symbols that incite hatred, glorify violence or intimidate communities. The NSW attorney-general later referred the matter for an inquiry into measures to prohibit such expressions.

Other incidents have been reported, including an arson at a Sydney childcare centre in January 2025 and the vandalism of vehicles with anti-Israel graffiti in Woollahra by two individuals in 2024.