Report exposes shocking online hate following shule arsons
There have been efforts to deny there is a problem, blame the Jewish community for incidents that have occurred, and to attack the Special Envoy and her Plan to Combat Antisemitism
Online responses to antisemitic arson attacks on Melbourne synagogues have included celebration of the violence, conspiracy theories blaming the Jewish community itself, and posts declaring there should be no synagogues in Australia, according to a new report.
The Online Hate Prevention Institute study documented over 100 examples of harmful online content following two attacks – the recent fire at East Melbourne Synagogue and the late 2024 attack that gutted the Adass Synagogue.
One commenter used Hamas symbols in a post declaring “Never Forgive”, “Never Forget” while advocating “resistance” and calling for “Death, death to the IDF”. The post not only supported terrorism but also targeting places of worship in Australia.
Other users suggested Jews were responsible for the attacks themselves, with some deploying the antisemitic “Happy Merchant” meme – an image traced back to 2004 when it appeared on a white supremacist website’s section promoting antisemitism.
One account, created earlier this year with a username including “zero sympathy”, framed the attacks by saying there should be no synagogues in Australia and declaring there are no good Jews. The account’s profile picture depicted a Jew poisoning a well, referencing an ancient antisemitic trope.
comments