A man has been arrested at Australia’s best-known beach for wearing an allegedly ‘offensive’ anti-Israel shirt.
The man, who is yet to be formally identified, was confronted by police at Sydney’s Bondi Beach for wearing the ‘provocative’ shirt about 12.50pm on Sunday.
The shirt featured Israel’s flag alongside 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 that the man, who is understood to be the son of a former Labor minister, had allegedly been seen wearing the shirt multiple times before his arrest.
He added that many locals had encountered him in the t-shirt, as Bondi and surrounding areas in Sydney’s east are the hub of the Jewish community in the city.
‘The Jewish community has faced a wave of intimidation and vandalism over the past year,’ Mr Gregory told Daily Mail Australia.
‘This man has been repeatedly wearing a shirt designed to annoy residents in Sydney’s east.
‘Day after day, he is spotted in neighbourhoods where many proud Jewish people live, including Double Bay and Bondi.
A man was arrested in Bondi on Sunday after wearing an allegedly offensive shirt (pictured) along the beach front
The man, who is yet to be formally identified, was confronted by police at Sydney’s Bondi Beach for wearing the ‘provocative’ shirt
‘Given his background, it’s hard to believe he doesn’t own another shirt. Something must be seriously lacking to cause a man of that age to be so desperate for attention.’
A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the man was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with two counts of behaving in offensive manner in/near public place and one count of stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm.
Mr Gregory claimed his shirt had caused great distress to Jewish families in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
‘He presents as an ugly sight, particularly for families and children, who have been confronted by the hatred and swear words he is parading around,’ he said.
‘The Jewish community is peaceful and law-abiding, so if he is looking to cause an altercation, he is unlikely to succeed.’
The man was later charged with two counts of behaving in offensive manner in/near public place and stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm’.
The man was bailed to appear before Waverley Local Court on January 22, 2025.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the man for comment.
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