Man charged after ramming Brisbane synagogue
Police were called to the Brisbane Synagogue on Friday night after a black Toyota Hilux utility allegedly struck and knocked down the front gates before fleeing the scene.
A man has fronted court after Brisbane’s largest synagogue was rammed in what police described as a “targeted” religious attack, leaving the Jewish community deeply distressed.
Queensland Board of Deputies vice president Libby Burke said the board was deeply distressed that a place of worship was targeted in that way.
She said any attack on a place of worship is “an attack on my community, it’s an attack on us all”.
“A synagogue is a sacred space – a place of prayer, reflection and community,” she said.
“To see its gates viciously rammed is profoundly devastating and is not dissimilar to what we have seen throughout the globe.”
Police were called to the Brisbane Synagogue on Margaret Street about 7.16pm after a black Toyota Hilux utility allegedly struck and knocked down the front gates before fleeing the scene, according to The Courier Mail.
CCTV shows a man standing behind the locked gates who had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the gate as the car reversed at speed.
Police found the car a short time later and took the driver into custody without incident. No one was injured during the incident.
Matthew De Campo, 32, of Sunnybank fronted Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with wilful damage serious vilification or hate crime, dangerous operation of a vehicle, possession dangerous drugs and possess utensils or pipes for use.
North Brisbane District acting superintendent Michael Hogan said they did not consider the alleged attack a “terrorist incident”, despite alleging it was a “targeted” attack on a Jewish synagogue.
“Our specialist counter-terrorism officers have been involved in the investigation from the very start, and I can confirm this is not considered a terrorist incident,” he said.
“This is a criminal investigation. Police are considering the man’s mental health, and intoxication as being a contributing factor.
“It was definitely a targeted attack against the Jewish synagogue.
“I think what we need to keep in mind is there are a number of other considering factors, including mental health, and intoxication, that really need to be considered in this circumstance.”
De Campo represented himself at a bail application via video link on Saturday after refusing to cooperate with the duty lawyer in the morning.
Magistrate Deborah Vasta said POLAIR tracked De Campo to the Pacific Motorway heading south, then later at 8.30pm the vehicle returned to the Brisbane CBD and drove back past the synagogue.
De Campo was intercepted on Charlotte Street, where he was allegedly found in possession of a clip seal bag of methamphetamine and a glass pipe.
Vasta said De Campo allegedly made some admissions during a police interview and “expressed a hatred for groups of people based on their religion, in this case Judaism”.
De Campo interrupted, saying he “did not do any hate crime or anything like that”.
He claimed he was a “man of good faith” and he never targeted anyone based on their religion.
Vasta noted De Campo had a criminal history, and that jail had been a “revolving door” for him since 2021.
De Campo acknowledged that he had “made some poor choices” in the past, but said he had moved to Brisbane to better himself.
“Last night was a bit of a brain snap and I believe there is something more sinister going on behind the scenes,” he said.
Vasta said she viewed De Campo as an unacceptable risk of committing further offences and denied his application for bail. He was remanded in custody for mention on March 11.
The incident comes just weeks before the state government is expected to pass new antisemitism and hate speech laws.
The new laws would be the toughest in the country with Queenslanders who display hate symbols, recite terrorist slogans, harass or cause damage at a place of worship facing up to seven years in prison under the proposed changes.
Premier David Crisafulli said he had been briefed about the “very concerning” incident.
“I have spoken to Jewish leaders, as well as police, and I want to assure Queenslanders we are taking this seriously,” he said.
“This is another signal as to why we have to put strong laws before Parliament to protect all people where they worship.
“We are going through the process and I fully intend to have them passed during the next sitting of Parliament.”
comments