Israeli restaurant attacked, synagogue torched within minutes of each other in Melbourne
Anti-Israel mob chants ‘Death to the IDF’ while hurling furniture through ‘Miznon’ window; suspect sets entrance of historic synagogue on fire; 20 people inside evacuate unscathed
A mob of pro-Palestinian protesters vandalized an Israeli-owned restaurant in Melbourne on Friday evening, just minutes after a nearby historic synagogue was targeted in an arson attack while worshippers were inside, Australian authorities said.
About 20 anti-Israel protesters stormed the Miznon restaurant at around 8:30 p.m. local time, with the Herald Sun citing witnesses who said the mob chanted “Death to the IDF.” Rap duo Bob Vylan led a crowd in shouting the same phrase at the Glastonbury festival in England days earlier.
The protesters — many of them masked — hurled furniture and food at the restaurant, shattering one of its outer windows as customers dined both inside and outside.
Police said they arrested a 28-year-old protester and questioned several other participants at the scene, identifying each of them for the purpose of a follow-up investigation.
Activists say they targeted the Miznon restaurant because it is co-owned by Shahar Segal, who has served as a spokesperson for the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been rejected by other aid groups who say its food distribution sites expose Gazans to IDF gunfire.
Around half an hour before the incident at Miznon, police said a man entered the grounds of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and poured flammable liquid on the door before setting it alight while worshippers were inside.
Police declare Miznon Hardware Lane crime scene after protesters clash with restaurant over alleged ties to American-Israeli aid group implicated in killings. Many arrests. This is a developing story pic.twitter.com/Gp30uIUkdg
— Alex Zucco (@zucco_alex) July 4, 2025
Roughly 20 people were inside the synagogue at the time of the fire, but they managed to evacuate before anyone was injured, authorities said.
The authorites added that firefighters arrived at the scene within minutes to put out the blaze.
Damage from the fire was contained to the entrance of the synagogue, police said, adding that while the suspect remained at large, the incident was caught on security cameras.
Police said they believed the attack was carried out by a male suspect. He has not been identified but is thought to be white and aged in his 30s.
There is “no place in our society for antisemitic or hate-based behavior,” police said.
Responding to the synagogue arson, Acting Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan said, “These crimes are disgusting and abhorrent, but at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident.”
“In the course of our investigation, we will examine the intent and the ideology of the persons involved, or person, to determine if this is in fact terrorism. At the moment, we are categorizing it as a serious criminal incident and responding accordingly,” she added.
Two major antisemitic attacks in Melbourne, Australia:
A synagogue was set on fire with 20 people inside the synagogue at the time, however, everyone was able to evacuate from the back.
In a separate incident, a group of 20 Palestinian protestors stormed and trashed an Israeli… pic.twitter.com/dDJALZ9LID
— Ari Ingel (@OGAride) July 4, 2025
A terrorism declaration opens the investigation to more resourcing and can result in charges that carry longer prison sentences.
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said the attacks were terrorist acts and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
“Targeting Jewish houses of worship and an Israeli restaurant is terrorism, aimed at intimidating an entire community simply because of their religion and identity,” wrote Haskel on X.
“The horrifying attacks overnight on a synagogue and an Israeli business in Melbourne are yet another reminder of how far racist, antisemitic hate crimes have spread in the heart of Australia,” she said.
“Let me be clear: these attacks are happening because, for too long, there have been no real consequences for those spreading hate and inciting violence. Weakness and silence only embolden the extremists,” Haskel said. “There is no justification — ever — for violence and hatred directed at Jews, Israelis, or any minority. The perpetrators of this terrorism must be brought to justice.”
The synagogue’s president, Danny Segal, called for the wider Australian community to stand with his congregation.
“We’re here to be in peace, you know, we’re here for everybody to live together and we’ve got a fresh start in Australia, such a beautiful country, and what they’re doing is just not fair and not right, and as Australians, we should stand up and everybody should stand up,” Segal told reporters.
Suspected arson at this synagogue in East Melbourne. FRV say they received triple zero calls around 8pm last night. More to come #7NEWS @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/rbYZwlANF1
— Jacqueline Stanley (@jacstanley7) July 4, 2025
The attack on the synagogue came seven months after another synagogue in Melbourne was targeted by arsonists who set a blaze that injured one and caused widespread damage.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday condemned the synagogue attack, saying it was a “cowardly” act of antisemitism.
“Last night’s arson attack on the synagogue in east Melbourne is cowardly, is an act of violence and antisemitism, and has no place in Australian society,” Albanese said in a statement.
“It is to be hoped that the perpetrator is brought to justice urgently, and that he faces the full force of the law, and anyone involved in this attack faces the full force of the law.”
He did not mention the attack on the restaurant.
Antisemitism has no place in Australia. Those responsible for the shocking acts in Melbourne last night must face the full force of the law and my Government will provide all necessary support toward this effort. pic.twitter.com/jyFO2odHgK
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 5, 2025
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan called it “absolutely appalling” that a second Jewish synagogue had been attacked.
“Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate, and any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism,” Allan said in a statement.
Australia’s Jewish community, numbering around 120,000, has been among the hardest hit by the global surge in antisemitism since October 7, 2023. The country experienced more than 2,000 anti-Jewish incidents between October 2023 and September 2024, more than quadruple the number from the year before Hamas’s October 7 assault that sparked the Gaza war, according to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).
In recent months, Jews there have experienced synagogues, schools, and homes firebombed, two nurses threatening to kill Jewish patients in their hospital, and the discovery of a trailer filled with explosives said to be intended for a mass-casualty event at a Sydney synagogue.
The Times of Israel Community.