The pelting of Jewish women with eggs in the Sydney area on Saturday was a random attack, New South Wales Police said after they arrested the perpetrators on Tuesday after having previously stated that law enforcement believed that the women were targeted due to their appearance.
Two teenage boys were arrested on Monday after an egg was thrown at three women from a car in Bondi on Saturday night. A sign was also struck.
The vehicle was located in the Rose Bay area, empty with the engine still running after it had driven onto the road curb. Police said Sunday that the vehicle had suffered damage, and three people were seen fleeing the scene. An empty petrol can and egg cartons were found inside.
After speaking to the registered owner and conducting an investigation, the 16-year-old alleged driver was arrested in Maroubra, and the 14-year-old alleged passenger was arrested in Waverley.
Police said that “inquiries revealed the attack was random.”
The 16-year-old was charged for driving a vehicle without consent of the owner, negligent driving, two counts of driving as a learner while unaccompanied, and for not displaying a learner’s plate.
The Australian Jewish Association was critical of the findings that the attack was not motivated by antisemitism, arguing on X/Twitter on Tuesday that the “police are quick to reach interesting conclusions.”
Spate of incidents
The incident occurred the same weekend as a spate of antisemitic vandalism incidents in the Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth areas.
At a Tuesday parliamentary session, Wentworth MP Allegra Spender proposed a motion against rising antisemitism in the country.
The motion, which passed, decried the “appalling and unacceptable rise in antisemitism across Australia, including violent attacks on synagogues, schools, homes, and childcare centers” and proposed “all parliamentarians will work constructively together to combat the scourge of antisemitism in Australia.”