20-minute Extremism Update

This brief talk examined the recent surge in antisemitic attacks in Australia. In two recent incidents, an Israeli restaurant was firebombed and a synagogue was targeted with antisemitic vandalism - part of a growing trend of ideologically motivated violence.

Dr. David Gawel, who retired from the NSW Police Force as a Detective Chief Inspector after 35 years of service, was joined by Ms. Caroline O’Hare, a former NSW Police officer of 42 years. Dr. Gawel spent 32 years engaged in the investigation of major crime, with the last 20 years of his career specialising in counter-terrorism. He currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Customer Aggression Response Team (CART), Security Intelligence Section, Services Australia. Since retiring in 2023, Ms. O’Hare founded Victims of Terrorism Australia (VOTA), a nonprofit organisation dedicated to supporting Australian victims and survivors of terrorism. Both Dr. Gawel and Ms. O’Hare received the Australian Police Medal (APM) in the 2016 Governor General’s honours list for ‘Distinguished Service’.

Moderated by Lara Burns, Head of Terrorism Research at the Program on Extremism, this conversation explored the facts of the attacks, patterns of rising extremism, and how law enforcement and civil society are responding.

On July 16, 2025, the Program on Extremism (PoE) at The George Washington University hosted a 20-minute briefing focused on the recent rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia, highlighting an escalation of ideologically motivated violence. The discussion featured Dr. David Gawel (APM) and Ms. Caroline O’Hare (APM) and was moderated by Lara Burns, PoE’s Head of Terrorism Research.

Dr. Gawel provided context on the demographics of Australia. Jewish Australians make up less than 0.4 percent of the population, with about 85 percent of the community concentrated either in Sydney or Melbourne. He then outlined antisemitic attacks that occurred in early July. On July 6, 2025, Victoria police’s counterterrorism unit charged 34-year-old Angelo Loras with setting fire to a synagogue in Melbourne. Loras reportedly poured petrol on the front door of the building and set it alight with approximately 20 people inside, deliberately obstructing their escape. The second incident was at Miznon, a Jewish-owned restaurant in eastern Melbourne, when a group of pro-Palestinian protestors stormed the restaurant, disrupting meals. Dr. Gawel said that three people were arrested for public disorder. He also noted a third incident that included antisemitic graffiti in a Melbourne suburb and the firebombing of a car with similar graffiti.

The event concluded with a broader discussion of terrorism in Australia. Since 2014, Australia has recorded only 15 terrorist attacks. However, according to an antisemitism report that Dr. Gawel referenced, Australia indicates a 300 percent increase in antisemitic attacks since October 7, 2023. The speakers said that Australia does not distinguish between domestic and international terrorism; anyone convicted of terrorism in the country is charged according to the same legal framework. Both Dr. Gawel and Ms. O’Hare are currently working to establish support services for Australia-based victims of terrorism.