A Nazi flag was found hoisted on a phone tower in Australia on April 12.
Two Chinese flags were tied to the Nazi flag on the tower in Kyabram — a town in northern Victoria — and the words “#COVID19” were written on the Nazi flag. The flags were taken down on April 13.
A large swastika has been planted on the top of a phone tower at Kyabram. There are also two Chinese flags being flown from there too. #9news #9NewsMelb #9NewsAus pic.twitter.com/tf1sZOZDzS
— Maggie Raworth (@MaggieRaworth) April 13, 2020
A spokesperson for Telstra, the company that owns the tower involved, told ABC Shepparton, “It is disappointing to see that people are spreading hatred at a time when we all need to work together, and that our infrastructure is being used to promote this message. Our focus is on ensuring our customers can keep connected when they need it most — luckily there was no damage to our tower and no services have been impacted.”
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich told Microsoft News (MSN), “It is chilling to think that in Australia in 2020 there are individuals with dangerous hatred in their hearts, walking our streets, who openly celebrate Hitler’s satanic ideology. Anyone who loves this country and its core values will be outraged by this evil and warped act.”
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt similarly tweeted, “This appalling display is further proof hateful actors are seizing this pandemic to spread vile #racism and #hate.”
Two Chinese flags and a Nazi flag were hung atop a phone tower in Victoria, Australia with “COVID19” written on them. This appalling display is further proof hateful actors are seizing this pandemic to spread vile #racism and #hate. https://t.co/Hp7TcWwIPf
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 14, 2020
An Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) report published on Nov. 24 found that there was a 30% increase in serious anti-Semitic incidents from 2018 to 2019 in Australia.
“We need not only strong anti-incitement laws but also systematic education programs at schools and universities and responsible messaging from [the] community and political leaders,” ECAJ Research Director of Anti-Semitism Julie Nathan said in a statement at the time. “It’s not just a government responsibility. Everyone stands to lose if racism continues to worsen. The responsibility falls on all of us.”
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