Antisemitic attack at Sydney hotel alleged
What began as a dispute over digital versus physical identification quickly escalated.
A Melbourne doctor claims he was assaulted and subjected to an antisemitic slur while checking into a Sydney hotel.
Speaking to The Australian Jewish News, the man, who does not wish to be identified, said he arrived at the hotel around 3pm last Saturday, and when he gave his last name, which is identifiably Jewish, a female staff member insisted on seeing a physical driver’s licence, despite his offering digital identification.
He then encountered a similar issue with payment: “She insisted on a physical credit card, which I clearly didn’t have.”
What began as a dispute over digital versus physical identification quickly escalated.
The man recounted, “I just said to her, ‘Look, I just want to check into my room. Please. Can I just get the key?’ She became hostile. I put my phone up to start recording … she came from behind the check in counter … [and] physically assaulted me.
He said, “She grabbed my arm, she scratched me …in the process of doing that, she muttered, ‘you a f**king Jew.’”
The man said he immediately contacted police, who reviewed CCTV footage and confirmed he had been assaulted.
However, they told him the staff member and other hotel employees denied hearing the antisemitic slur.
“Whether they did or not, I don’t know,” he said. “She didn’t scream it, but she certainly said it.”
The man has expressed disappointment in the police response, explaining that a sergeant who attended the incident suggested his filming might have provoked the clerk.
“He made a point that … perhaps English might not be her first language … I’m not sure how you could draw a nexus between me videoing, which is entirely lawful, and somebody physically assaulting me and calling me ‘a f**king Jew,’” said the man.
A NSW Police spokesperson said “Police attended a dispute between a guest and staff member at a licensed premise on Saturday 1 February 2025. Following an investigation, there was insufficient evidence to proceed with any criminal charge.”
The Melbourne doctor said a senior executive from the hotel’s parent company has been “wonderful” and they are taking the matter seriously.
“They’ve appointed an external person to investigate, and that’s the right response,” the man said.
However, he remains critical of the police.
“They just don’t care … Chris Minns gets up there and he says, ‘We’re going to catch these bastards. This is intolerable.’ … Yet, at this level, they don’t care” he said.
The man has been promised a refund for the unoccupied room and stressed his determination to pursue the matter further.
“I won’t let this one go,” he said. “Antisemitism is on the rise. Nobody cares.”
James Newbury, MP for Brighton where the Melbourne doctor lives, has referred the incident to the Minister for Police and called for immediate action.
He said, “Every day, the Jewish community is faced with shocking attacks, because antisemitism is darkly embedded into our society. The breakdown in social cohesion in this country can be directly attributed to weak Governments whose silence provides offenders with the cover they need”.
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