A mobile billboard showing photos of kidnapped Israelis as they drove through the Sydney suburb of Bondi on Sunday switched off its signage after warnings from police.
Police told the driver that “a lot of people come from other places” to visit the beach and that “some people might make exceptions” to the images.
Photos of the truck, posted on social media by the Australian Jewish Association on Sunday, show the vehicle being stopped, two officers approaching the driver and the truck then being parked with the digital signage turned off.
“A truck carrying hostage posters was asked to put out the signs in Bondi,” the report said.
“This is a scandal, just like when the government told Jews to stay home while a crowd at the Opera House in Sydney chanted “gas the Jews,” the AJA said.
“If Jews aren’t safe in Bondi, are they safe anywhere in Australia? The police should focus on dealing with the threats, not on silencing Jews.”
The AJA added: ‘They were told it was a safety issue and that they could place the signs in Vaucluse but not in Bondi.’
A mobile billboard displayed photos of kidnapped Israelis hung on a truck as they drove through Bondi on Sunday
Police warned the truck driver that ‘some people may object to the truck’s signage’
On Monday, Chief Inspector Jodi Radmore, the commander of NSW Police Eastern Beaches, addressed the public outcry, following an initial police statement that lacked specific details about what was said to the driver.
‘Police advised him that if he was heading to Bondi Beach, where there are large crowds on Sundays, he might want to bear in mind that, apart from our own community in the eastern suburbs there, there are a lot of people coming from other places . (and) some people may take issue with the truck signage,” she told 2GB’s Chris O’Keefe.
Ms Radmore said the driver was not told to turn off the sign and the display was not against the law.
The mobile billboard was taken down after police warned that some people might be offended
“So you just said he might get in trouble if he goes there?” 2GB host O’Keefe asked.
“Yes,” she said.
‘As you may know, there was an incident in the city last week where a very similar vehicle doing the exact same thing was approached by a person who insulted the truck and who filmed the truck, and subsequently that person was arrested by police for his insult. behaviour.’
Ms Radmore said police were ‘moderating our approach’.
She also confirmed a separate incident near Bondi on Sunday evening involving Sydney Israeli man Avi Efrat, who was told by police to remove hostage posters he had put up.
Mr. Efrat is the founder of Fantastic Framing and an Israeli immigrant.
“Both sets of incidents yesterday are really about the police just trying to keep the public safe,” Ms Radmore said.
Two men were fined last week after they were caught on footage destroying posters of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists at Bondi Beach.
Last week, two men were fined after they were filmed destroying posters of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists at Bondi Beach.
A peaceful tribute was organized on Thursday morning to the 240 hostages – including young children and the elderly – who were captured almost a month ago.
The exhibition featured posters of the hostages, who are believed to still be in Gaza, with the word ‘Kidnapped’ at the top.
But alarming footage showed two men tearing off the posters.
The men, from Sydney’s west, have been fined for offensive behaviour.
The AJA said the men “damaged and stole six signs.”
“It was a heart-warming gesture to see 240 towels and pairs of thongs displayed by young members of the Jewish community who gathered on Bondi Beach to show that the hostages kidnapped by Hamas are not forgotten,” chief executive Robert Gregory told Daily. Australia Post.
“The Jewish community should be able to come together like all other Australians. Destroying photographs of abducted children is heartless, depraved and un-Australian.”