The NSW government will "throw everything" behind an investigation into an antisemitic incident overnight as Australia's peak Jewish body urges the prime minister to ramp up efforts to tackle what it says is a crisis. Emergency services responded to reports of a vehicle on fire in Woollahra in Sydney's east at around 1am on Wednesday, with Fire and Rescue NSW extinguishing the blaze. That vehicle and another, as well as two buildings and a footpath, were graffitied. The graffiti on one of the buildings said 'Kill Israiel' (sic). It's the second attack in the same suburb within weeks. 10/12/2024 04:22 Play 'Attempts to divide our city' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns were among those who condemned the attack, labelling it an antisemitic incident. Minns said attempts to divide Sydney "won't work" and the offenders would face "the full force of the law". He said it was "a violent act of destruction, clearly antisemitic, designed to strike fear into the community that lives in this part of Sydney". Police are searching for two people believed to have been in the area at the time. The perpetrators are believed to be two people of slim build, aged between 15 and 20 years, wearing face coverings and dark clothing. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas Albanese wrote on social media that there was "no place for antisemitism in our community". He told ABC radio the vandalism was "an attack on people because they happen to be Jewish", calling it a "hate crime". The incident has been escalated to the Australian Federal Police, who Albanese announced had established an antisemitism taskforce earlier this week. NSW police commissioner Karen Webb said a "full police response is underway" and that police are conducting an "extensive investigation". Earlier, NSW Police and Counter-Terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley pledged the state government would "throw everything we can" behind the investigation. "We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, acts of hatred and violence directed at our Jewish community," Catley said in a statement. "There is no place for hatred or antisemitism in our society. Every person has the right to feel safe in their own city, their homes, and their places of worship." Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas 'Antisemitism crisis' The incident comes after the Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne's south-east was set alight in a pre-dawn attack on Friday while a number of people were inside. Police are treating it as a "likely" act of terrorism. Speaking outside the synagogue on Wednesday, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the vandalism in Woollahra was designed to terrorise Jewish Australians. "The Jewish community again wakes to scenes of terror and devastation," he said. "How long will this continue, and with what horrors will it end?" Source: AAP / Joel Carrett Ryvchin said after the attack on the synagogue, his organisation has "appealed to the prime minister with urgent requests" to address what he called an antisemitism crisis. Albanese visited the synagogue on Tuesday, where he promised to support its rebuild but was jeered by some angry with his handling of the situation . He committed his government to provide support to rebuild the synagogue, will provide funding for the restoration of the salvageable scrolls, and the replacement of those that are beyond repair. The Victorian government announced 15 community organisations would receive $950,000 in security funding. Grants of up to $200,000 were available to Jewish community organisations to support the purchase, installation or improvement of security equipment at community facilities. 'Harmful': Liberal senator's 'fictitious Islamophobia' claim condemned Islamic school bus torched Meanwhile, a bus belonging to an Islamic school in Adelaide was set alight in suspicious circumstances over the weekend. Independent senator Fatima Payman has questioned whether there was a double standard over incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia, saying the government had rightly condemned the synagogue attack, "yet there is no outrage" over the bus being torched. "Two acts of arson, two acts of hate, but two very different responses," she said in a social media video on Tuesday. Police in South Australia are investigating but say no evidence has been found to indicate it was racially motivated. — With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain retained a six-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 after a labored 3-0 home win over Toulouse on Friday. The defending champion dominated the first half but it took until the 35th minute to open the scoring. Young Portuguese midfielder João Neves spun to meet a cross from the right and struck a superb half volley from just outside the box. Lucas Beraldo got a second with six minutes remaining when he pounced on loose ball and fired home. Vitinha made it 3-0 in stoppage time when he showed fine footwork inside the box to finish off a quick counterattack. The scoreline was harsh on Toulouse, which came into the game in a more even second half. Only Vitinha’s last-gasp tackle stopped Zakaria Aboukhlal from equalizing after 69 minutes and then Shavy Babicka blazed over from close range a minute later when he should have hit the target. The win was a confidence boost for Luis Enrique’s side ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at Bayern Munich. PSG lies in 25th place in the 36-team Champions League table with one win in four matches and outside the playoff spots. The win came immediately after second-placed Monaco beaten Brest 3-2 to briefly close the gap at the top to three points. Brest, which faces Barcelona next week in the Champions League, turned in another inconsistent French league performance and not the sparkling form it has shown in Europe. Brest has struggled in Ligue 1, where it remains 12th, but shone with three wins from four in its first ever Champions League campaign. It was behind after just five minutes on Friday when Maghnes Akliouche scored with a superb airborne volley, and 2-0 down after 24 minutes thanks to Aleksandr Golovin. The Russian striker seized on a poor pass just outside the Brest penalty area and his low shot was perfectly placed to sneak in off the post and give him his first goal in nine league appearances. On-loan Brighton striker Abdallah Sima used his 1.88-meter frame to outjump the Monaco defense four minutes into the second half and cut the deficit but Akliouche restored Monaco’s two-goal cushion when he brilliantly finished a quick counterattack in stoppage time. Ludovic Ajorque got a second for Brest in the sixth minute of added time but it was not enough in a second half most notable for the red card shown to Brest coach Éric Roy. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerRick Mantei Brings Holiday Cheer to Epworth Children’s Home and Announces 2025 Partnership
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