Australia's Jewish community is observing the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people. Commemorative events took place across several states on Tuesday, but they were marred by pro-Hamas graffiti in Melbourne. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the 2023 attack as "a day of pain and terror" for Jewish people worldwide. He emphasized the significance of the attack on innocent festival-goers, stating, "Hamas stands in opposition to all humanity, and all that we value as human beings." He added, "Two years on, we remember all those who were lost on that day, the largest loss of Jewish life on any single day since the Holocaust. Over 1,200 innocent lives ruthlessly taken without mercy."

As commemorations unfolded, Victoria Police began investigating graffiti that appeared on a billboard in Fitzroy, a suburb of Melbourne. The phrase "glory to Hamas" was spray-painted on the billboard, while nearby, the words "Oct 7 do it again" had been partially removed from a wall in Westgarth. The Australian government designates Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the graffiti, stating it was "not in the spirit of wanting peace" and described it as "deeply wrong and offensive." She expressed her support for the Jewish community, saying, "My thoughts and heart go with the Jewish community today and everyone in our community who is striving for peace and harmony. This is not achieving that outcome."

Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also criticized the graffiti, calling it "deeply disturbing." She noted, "Hamas is a listed terrorist organization in Australia. Supporting them is not free speech; it is a crime. Those responsible must face the full force of the law." Ley urged the Australian Federal Police and ASIO to assist Victorian Police in identifying those behind the graffiti.

Opposition MP David Southwick, representing areas with significant Jewish populations, expressed his dismay at the graffiti. He remarked, "They weren't soldiers that were murdered; they were kids at a dance party, they were people living on a kibbutz. No matter what people's views are on what might have transpired afterward, today is certainly not the day to glorify a terrorist organization. I just cannot believe this is happening in Melbourne."

A spokesperson for Victoria Police encouraged anyone with information about the graffiti to come forward, stating, "There is absolutely no place at all in our society for antisemitic or hate-based symbols and behavior."

In contrast, Jasmine Duff, convener of Students for Palestine, argued that the graffiti does not reflect the broader movement. She said, "For two years, there's been recurring moments where the media tries to focus on the actions of one individual and one piece of graffiti as a way of trying to paint the movement as violent, paint it as antisemitic. I think it's cynical to paint the actions of random individuals as standing for the whole movement, when the movement has shown what we stand for."

Earlier in the day, a moment of silence was observed at the Goldstone Gallery in Collingwood, Melbourne, to mark the anniversary of the Nova music festival attack. Jewish artist Nina Sanadze curated an exhibition at the gallery to honor the victims. She reflected on the communities affected, stating, "These were the communities who were living on the border of Gaza. They were proactive peace builders. Every house was decimated and burned."

Sanadze expressed her feelings of being unable to publicly mourn the victims, saying, "Grief to the Jewish community was denied. I was personally, as a Jewish artist, I was harassed for grieving October 7. I was pretty soon canceled, because as an artist in a progressive community I was not allowed to grieve for the loss of October 7."

In Sydney, members of the Jewish community gathered at Bondi for an informal ceremony to mark the anniversary. Michelle Goldman, Chief Executive of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, described the day as solemn for the Jewish population. She noted, "We still have Israelis being held hostage in Gaza. So the community's heart is just broken. We are continuing to grieve, and what I would say is there's a small glimmer of hope with the US peace plan."