The gang’s activities do not seem to have been driven by ideology, even as the attacks directly targeted the Jewish community, according to police.

By JNS staff

Australian police announced on Tuesday that 14 members of an organized crime ring have been arrested and charged in connection with a wave of antisemitic hate crimes in the country.

The suspects have been charged with 65 offenses, including taking part in a criminal group, arson and destruction of property.

The Australian police said they no longer believe many of the gang’s activities were driven by ideology, even as the attacks directly targeted the Jewish community.

“None of the individuals we have arrested … have displayed any form of antisemitic ideology,” said NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson.

“I think these organized crime figures have taken an opportunity to play off the vulnerability of the Jewish community,” he added.

At the same time, the police commander conceded that he had no doubt that antisemitism in Australia has seen an “escalation” since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel.

Australian Jews experienced more than 2,000 anti-Jewish incidents over the past year, more than quadruple the number from the previous year, according to a report published by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) in December.

Last week, a second Australian nurse was charged for threatening to kill Israelis.

Jewish community leaders in Australia have attributed the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents to inaction or even hostility on the part of Australia’s Labor-led government.

About 120,000 Jews live in Australia, mostly in Sydney and Melbourne.

After months of attacks directed at the Jewish community, Australia‘s parliament enacted stringent laws to address hate crimes, introducing mandatory minimum sentences for terrorism offenses and the display of hate symbols.