ECAJ statement on the attack on a rally in Perth.

While the motive behind the homemade bomb thrown at Monday’s rally in Perth is yet to be determ­ined and while the matter is now before the courts, ECAJ expresses its horror and despair that such an incident could take place on these shores, par­tic­u­larly after our own community was the target of an attack so recently that claimed 15 lives and left dozens of others injured.

Whatever one’s stance on the issue of Australia Day vs Invasion Day, we are meant to be living in a democracy that both protects minor­it­ies and permits peaceful protests.

Over the past two years, with antisemitism soaring and with violent acts against us on the rise, we as a community have felt increas­ingly unsafe, our voice drowned out by the clamour of those inciting hate.

As has often been observed through­out history, in any society, Jews are the canary in the coalmine and, as we have repeatedly noted in recent months, attacks on our community will not end with our community.

It is for this reason that we have advocated so keenly for legis­la­tion that protects not just Jewish Aus­trali­ans but all Aus­trali­ans from the hateful actions and hateful speech that have cost us so dearly since October 2023.

And although it is a blessing that no one was injured in the incident in Perth on Monday, it is a sad indict­ment of the state of our society that such an incident should have taken place.

If it is determ­ined that this was indeed a terror attack against First Nations people, then we expect the alleged per­pet­rat­or to face the full force of the law.

Either way, fully cognisant of the feelings of fear and vul­ner­ab­il­ity that such an attack can engender, we extend our full sympathy and support to the First Nations people.