Australian golf course vandalised with swastikas

Swastikas were sprayed on a golf course in Melbourne, Australia, founded by Jews nearly seven decades ago because they were not allowed to play at other clubs.

The green on the fourth hole at the Cranbourne Golf Club also was sprayed on Tuesday night with homophobic images.

“Another day, another sickening and chilling incident of swastika vandalism, and if this hate spree continues, Melbourne will soon be known as the swastika capital of Australia,” Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said.

“This is not just graffiti on the ground — it is an attack on all of us. The vile stampede of neo-Nazi defacement that has defiled our city is reaching pitch fever and must be stopped.”

Police are investigating the incident.

Cranbourne was founded in 1953 to counter the membership bans from other clubs on the basis of religion.

Melbourne and its home state of Victoria have had to deal with incidents including a house flagpole flying a Nazi flag opposite the home of a Holocaust survivor. Another Nazi swastika flag was attached to a city telephone transmitter mast, and antisemitic vandals daubed giant swastikas on a building in front of one of the city’s busiest transit roads.