'Disgusting' antisemitic graffiti sprayed on Anzac landmark

Vandals target West Australian Anzac landmark with antisemitic graffiti Mon 6 Jul 2026 at 6:41pm In short: Vandals spray-painted swastikas and anti-Jewish abuse on rocks and historic battlements on WA's south coast. Albany, where the graffiti occurred, was the final departure point for more than 40,000 Australian and New Zealand troops in World War I in late 1914. What's next? The WA Jewish Community Council said the vandalism reflected a growing rise in incidents across the country. Antisemitic and racist vandalism at one of Australia's most significant Anzac sites has been universally condemned by local leaders and Jewish community representatives. CONTENT WARNING: This story contains images and descriptions of racist and antisemitic graffiti that readers may find offensive Swastikas and anti-Jewish abuse were discovered spray-painted on rocks and historic battlements within the grounds of Princess Royal Fortress in Albany, on Western Australia's southern coast. Some of the graffiti made threatening sexual comments towards Jews, while other sprayed messages referenced Adolf Hitler. Albany resident Emmanuel Lamond discovered the graffiti at the Plantagenet Battery on Mt Adelaide Irrerup this morning while walking with her boyfriend. "We just came across one swastika first, and then I thought maybe it's just like a once-off, but then we kept going, and we kept finding more, and they just kept getting worse and worse," she said. "They're pretty big as well; they're covering whole buildings, and they were pretty shocking." The remains of the underground magazines sit in bushland below the National Anzac Centre, which was opened in 2014. The Great Southern city, 420 kilometres south of Perth, holds a special significance for Australia's Anzac history as the final departure point for more than 40,000 Australian and New Zealand troops who sailed for World War I in 1914. 'We want it removed' Ms Lamond said she was quick to report the graffiti, given the significance of the site. "It's a public area, and when we were there, we saw families walking past, and it's only a very short walk from the boardwalk to go to the buildings where any person could come across it," she said. "We just wanted to get it removed before anyone else saw it. I mean it could have been like a child finding that, or like a Jewish person." Albany Mayor Greg Stocks said the city had moved to remove the graffiti as soon as it was reported. He said the racist and antisemitic messages and symbols had no place in the Great Southern town. "Albany is a welcoming and inclusive community, and there is no place for antisemitism or any form of hate,"he said. "This incident is completely at odds with our community's values, and we unequivocally reject hatred, intolerance and discrimination in all its forms." Police are investigating the vandalism. 'Emblematic' site defaced WA Jewish Community Council vice president Steve Lieblich said any antisemitic graffiti was offensive and disgusting, but today's discovery was particularly hurtful. "That hill and the Anzac museum at the top of the hill are emblematic of the Aussies who, in the First World War, left with their horses, the light horsemen, to fight tyranny overseas and protect Australia and Australian values, and their sons and grandsons fought in the Second World War against the Nazis," he said. "To have, in Australia, that sort of graffiti is absolutely disgusting." Mr Lieblich said the incident reflected a rise in antisemitic attacks across the world and country since the October 7 terrorist attacks and subsequent war in Gaza. While he said police were doing a good job of investigating and deterring anti-Jewish incidents and behaviour, he felt the penalties for offenders were too light. But he said education remained the best way to stop the attacks and incidents gaining momentum. "We seem to have had a holiday since the Holocaust, and it was clear to people because of the immediacy of the history that antisemitism is disgusting and socially unacceptable, and somehow we've forgotten that, and it seems to have come back out of the woodwork," he said. "Ultimately, the solution is not fines and punishment and jail terms, but education. "In the long term, we need people to understand society better, understand their responsibility to their fellow citizens … then we won't be seeing these sorts of hateful actions."