Man Faces Charges for Vandalism and Arson in Jewish Community

According to court testimony, a young man accused of complicity in an anti-Israel graffiti attack only held a light while his accomplice sprayed hateful slogans.

The incident took place in Woollahra, a suburb with a large Jewish community, on Nov. 21, where Thomas Stojanovski, 20, faces 12 counts of property destruction and one count of masking his face with intent to commit a crime.

During a bail hearing at the NSW Supreme Court on Feb. 28, Justice Julia Lonergan demanded prosecutors prove an unacceptable risk in releasing the young man on bail.

A CCTV clip presented in court showed two hooded individuals, one painting graffiti while the other provided light with a phone torch—Stojanovski was accused of aiding in the vandalism by shining the light for his alleged accomplice to write hateful messages.

The two individuals allegedly set fire to one parked car and vandalized nine others with slogans such as “f*** Israel” and “PKK coming.”

PKK stands for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, designated a terrorist organization by the Turkish and Australian governments.

The Woollahra incident was part of a series of anti-Semitic events in Sydney, including the attempted arson of a synagogue and an attack on a former home of a Jewish leader with graffiti and firebombs.

Stojanovski’s barrister, Peter Lange, argued that his client may not necessarily be convicted and that prosecutors had a viable but not overpowering case.

Lange emphasized the importance of considering each individual’s role in the crime and highlighted the potential consequences of being remanded without bail, stating that Stojanovski faced a lengthy period without access to programs typically available to sentenced prisoners.

“That’s a long time for a young person to be in custody,” remarked Justice Lonergan.

Stojanovski appeared via audio-visual link from Parklea prison and showed minimal emotion during the proceedings.

It was noted that his alleged accomplice, Mohammed Farhat, had Hezbollah tattoos, while Stojanovski had no ideological motivation for the attack.