Jewish group slams anti-semitic graffiti mowed into grass on a Melbourne sporting field
A Melbourne father has been left horrified after discovering his local park had been vandalized to display an anti-Semitic message in the grass.
The Jewish father, who did not want to be named, was taking his one-year-old daughter to Mill Park in Melbourne’s northwest when he discovered the disturbing message.
It is believed that someone burned or mowed the message ‘Zionism = Nazi’ in the grass of the popular children’s park.
“Honestly, I am still traumatized by the massacre that took place in Israel,” the Israeli-born father said.
“I was thinking about how children my daughter’s age were slaughtered a year ago, but I was trying to enjoy quality time with my daughter… when suddenly I saw her running around with these hate speeches.”
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said the anti-Semitic graffiti was “not normal.”
“The monster of anti-Semitism has once again reared its head and dealt a blow to every Jewish Australian,” Dr Abramovich said.
‘What should have been a happy family outing turned into a nightmare.
Anti-Semitic graffiti was found on the grass of Mill Park, a beloved children’s playground in Melbourne
“When he took his one-year-old daughter to peacefully kick a ball for the first time, that precious milestone was shattered.
“In one fell swoop, the poison of anti-Semitism had contaminated a space meant for children and families, and this stomach-churning act of evil is a disturbing reminder that even a simple day in the park can be poisoned by bigotry.”
“To scribble such a poison on a children’s playground is a new low in cowardice and cruelty.”
Dr. Abramovich said it is important that public spaces are protected from hateful acts.
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said the graffiti in the park was gruesome
“Every Jewish Australian deserves to raise their children in safety, free from the dark shadow of hatred that this graffiti represents,” he said.
“This latest incident is a blatant violation of every family’s right to peace, a sickening distortion of history and an attack on the collective memory of Holocaust survivors.
‘Jewish Australians don’t have to wonder whether a day at the park will result in a confrontation with prejudice.
“Public spaces should be sanctuaries of joy and safety, not stages for the ugliest expressions of hate.”
Whittlesea Council has been contacted.