{
  "id": 2963617,
  "title": "Council forced to combat spike in anti-Semitic graffiti",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/council-forced-to-combat-spike-in-anti-semitic-graffiti",
  "topic": null,
  "section": null,
  "published": "2026-08-24T06:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discovered",
    "slug": "discovered",
    "url": "https://irrigator.com.au/story/9336190/council-forced-to-combat-spike-in-anti-semitic-graffiti"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The City of Melbourne has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars combating a surge in anti-Semitic graffiti, posters and stickers spanning nearly 4,000 square meters, according to a local council. Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece revealed the magnitude of the issue to a royal commission, attributing the rise to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The council implemented an anonymous reporting system for offensive material, with contractors tasked to remove it within an hour. About 800 to 1,000 pieces of such material have been eradicated since the program commenced around two years ago. Elfa Moraitakic, head of SydWest Multicultural Services, testified that the Bondi Beach attack had engendered apprehension within Sydney's Muslim community, particularly among women donning a hijab. She asserted that certain communities were scapegoated during the political discourse, causing discomfort. Coalition MPs and advocates are lobbying for the extension of the royal commission, arguing that it has not sufficiently probed the catalysts of the Bondi Beach incident. NSW Premier Chris Minns endorsed the extension, emphasizing the commission's necessity to unearth the \"fundamental truths\" of the event and the preceding circumstances, especially concerning anti-Semitism. An online petition supporting the extension garnered over 2,000 signatures.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}