A man has been arrested on Australia’s best-known beach for wearing an allegedly “offensive” anti-Israel t-shirt.
The man, who has not yet been formally identified, was confronted by police in Sydney’s Bondi Beach for wearing the “provocative” T-shirt about 12.50pm on Sunday.
The T-shirt displayed the flag of Israel along with the words “f**k Israel” and “f**k Zionism.”
The scenes unfolded in front of large crowds of beachgoers who had flocked to Bondi to escape the heat as temperatures soared into the 30s on Sunday.
Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory claimed the man, believed to be the son of a former Labor minister, had allegedly been seen wearing the shirt several times before his arrest.
He added that many locals had encountered him wearing the shirt, as Bondi and surrounding areas in Sydney’s east are the center of the city’s Jewish community.
“The Jewish community has faced a wave of intimidation and vandalism over the past year,” Gregory told Daily Mail Australia.
‘This man has been repeatedly wearing a t-shirt designed to annoy eastern Sydney residents.
‘Day after day, he is seen in neighborhoods where many proud Jews live, including Double Bay and Bondi.
A man was arrested in Bondi on Sunday after wearing an allegedly offensive t-shirt (pictured) in front of the beach.
The man, who has not yet been formally identified, was confronted by police in Sydney’s Bondi Beach for wearing the “provocative” T-shirt.
‘Given his background, it’s hard to believe he doesn’t have another shirt. He must be missing something seriously that makes a man that age so desperate for attention.
A New South Wales police spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the man was “taken to Waverley police station and charged with two counts of behaving in an offensive manner in/near a public place and stalking/intimidating with intent.” of fearing physical harm.”
Gregory claimed his T-shirt had caused great distress to Jewish families in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
“It presents itself as an unpleasant sight, especially for families and children, who have faced the hatred and bad words that it flaunts,” he said.
“The Jewish community is peaceful and law-abiding, so if you seek to provoke an altercation, you are unlikely to succeed.”
The man was later charged with two counts of behaving in an offensive manner in/near a public place and stalking/intimidating with intent to fear bodily harm.
The man was released on bail to appear at Waverley Local Court on January 22, 2025.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the man for comment.
