A second man has been charged after more than a dozen cars and several homes and businesses were defaced with anti-Israel comments in an elite Sydney suburb.
Celebrity chef Matt Moran’s Chiswick restaurant was one of three properties destroyed in the attack in Woollahra at 12.35pm on Thursday.
Several cars were covered in white spray paint that read “f**k Israel,” while one vehicle was set on fire, leaving a trail of $70,000 in damage.
Damage to the buildings is estimated at between $20,000 and $30,000.
A 19-year-old man was arrested at a home on Queen Street in Arncliffe on Thursday for his alleged role in the incident, NSW Police said in a statement.
He was taken to Kogarah police station and charged with 21 offences.
The teenager was refused bail and was due to appear in Sutherland Local Court on Thursday.
It comes just days after a 20-year-old man was arrested at Sydney Airport in Mascot, a 20-minute drive from the crime scene.
A man has been charged after more than a dozen cars and several buildings were defaced with anti-Israel slurs in one of Sydney’s wealthiest suburbs
He was taken to a police station and charged with 21 offences, including 14 counts of destroying or damaging property.
Three counts entered the building with intent to commit a criminal offence, two counts of destroying property in the business, using fire, blackening/disguising the face to commit a criminal offense and being offensive behaved in public were among the other charges.
He was refused bail and appeared at Downing Center Local Court on Monday.
Chiswick is co-owned by Mr Moran and Elliot Solomon, the Jewish CEO of Solotel Group.
The letters ‘PKK’ could also be seen on several cars and the windows of Chiswick.
PKK could refer to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by some countries, including Australia.
Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, told Daily Mail Australia the government had not taken her concerns seriously.
“It is absolutely shocking to see this kind of political violence taking place on the streets of Australia,” he said.
Several cars were covered in white spray paint reading “f**k Israel” while one vehicle was set on fire
NSW Police launched a manhunt for two people following the vandalism
“There is no justification for attacking Jews and other Australians because of a conflict on the other side of the world.
“Labor has watched as an increasingly violent anti-Israel movement has taken over Australia’s streets.
“The Jewish community has begged the authorities to take this seriously.
“Many believe Labor is refusing to act because it is too focused on winning votes in Western Sydney.
‘When Australians are prevented from taking their children into the Myer Christmas window displays or told to stay home for their own safety because the Opera House steps have been taken over by an anti-Semitic gang, it’s clear we have a problem .
“It’s time for decent Australians to reclaim our streets from this ‘Free Palestine’ hate movement.”
Dr. Dvir Abramovich of the Commission against Defamation said the “cowardly” attack was a “frontal assault on our values and on decency” and would only “strengthen the determination of the Jewish community.”
“This hate crime is the direct result of the relentless incitement against Israel and the explosion of anti-Semitism we are witnessing across the country,” he said.
“Words have consequences in the real world, and this is proof of what happens when rhetoric becomes violence.
“To those responsible, hear this: your hatred has no place here. You may think you can silence us with fire and poison, but you have only fueled our resolve.
“The Jewish community has faced darkness before, and each time we have come out stronger.”