A Jewish man said he feels “lucky” to be alive after a violent antisemitic attack by Palestine supporters in Sydney left him with a head injury and a fractured spine.

The 44-year-old, whose name has not been published, told Sky News Australia that he had been walking through a children’s playground in the Inner West section of Sydney when he “absent-mindedly” ripped off the remainder of a torn poster promoting a pro-Palestine rally that had already taken place. 

A man who had been in the playground approached him, asked if he supported Israel and said “I will murder you,” before a mob gathered and started shouting insults. He rang the police but they did not arrive before he was attacked. He felt a blow to the back of his head and fell to the ground, where he lay as three other men joined the assault, punching and kicking him while calling him slurs such as “pro-Jew dog”. He said he received at least 12 hits to the head. 

When police arrived, the man’s attackers had already fled. The victim said he spent four days in the hospital being treated for his injuries. NSW Police are investigating the incident.

Pro-Palestine protesters marched on the Sydney Opera House

Protesters marched on the Sydney Opera House (Photo: Getty)

This was not the first antisemitic incident in the Australian city in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Just two days after the October 7 massacre, a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside Sydney Opera House featured a group chanting violently antisemitic slogans including "gas the Jews", “f*** the Jews” and “f*** Israel”.

The approximately 1,000 demonstrators marched through downtown Sydney on the evening of Monday 9 October, when the Opera House had been illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag in solidarity with the country.

At that time, the death toll from the Hamas attacks stood at around 900, while scores of kidnapped Israelis remained unaccounted for. 

Jewish groups and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the chanting.