MUJAM >Anti-Israel graffiti

Anti-Israel graffiti cleaned in show of support for Israeli victims of terror.

By Alon Cassuto

On Wednesday, 30th of April, at 1.30 pm, students from the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) painted over graffiti on the wooden partitions surrounding the construction at the Art Gallery on St Kilda Road. The graffiti, in large red letters, read: "Israel is a state born of terror" (see pictures). This statement was discovered by a MUJSS member only hours after a homicide bomber killed three, and wounded dozens, at a popular Tel Aviv pub.

AUJS political officer Alex Lew explained, "We are taking this action because the graffiti is a wrong statement based on ignorance, and we find it highly offensive. Israel was born out of a vote in the United Nations, yet was immediately attacked by its Arab neighbors, who were determined to wipe it out. It is Israel that has been subjected to terror ever since, especially over the past 30 months, and most recently overnight in Tel Aviv. Those responsible for the terror still don’t accept Israel’s right to exist, a position apparently shared by those behind this graffiti".

MUJSS, and AUJS are determined to fight anti- Israel sentiment, both on campus and abroad, by educating those who are willing to listen. At times however it is also our duty to ensure that offensive and illegal activity, such as this, does not become tolerated by Australian society. Australians, Jews and non Jews alike, should look beyond vandalism as a means to express themselves, and should stand up against those who doubt Israel’s existence in such a petty manner.