Mercenaries of Hate

Overseas actors may be funding antisemitic crimes in Australia, which has seen a surge in such incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, according to Australian police, with a majority of incidents occurring in recent months, the BBC reported.

The attacks mainly target synagogues and Jewish-majority neighborhoods in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, where 85 percent of the country’s Jewish population resides.

The latest target, last week, was a childcare center in Sydney, located near a Jewish school and a synagogue. It was set on fire while vandals sprayed antisemitic graffiti on the walls. Despite extensive damage, there were no injuries.

It was the second antisemitic attack in the city in four days, Reuters reported.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said some of these crimes have been perpetrated by individuals who are not motivated by racism or ideology, but by money.

But it is still not known who is hiring the attackers or the source of their funding.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the funding may come using cryptocurrencies, which are difficult to track.

The police are also investigating if the attacks were perpetrated by young people who might have been recruited and radicalized online.

As public frustration over the attacks and lack of arrests grows, New South Wales authorities have doubled the number of officers on a special unit investigating antisemitic crimes formed in December, according to Al Jazeera.

New South Wales has charged more than 35 people with antisemitic offenses while 70 were arrested for similar crimes in the state of Victoria.