A Hindu temple in Australia has been vandalised apparently by Khalistan supporters in a global pattern of targeting the places of worship of the religious group.
The walls of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne were on Thursday found defaced with graffiti calling for 'death to India' and comparing Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to ‘Hitler’.
The vandals also defiled the temple with words praising the slain militant leader Bhindranwale who was responsible for the death of thousands of people in India.
The graffiti read “Hindustan Murdabad” (death to India), “Modi = Hitler” and “Sant Bhindranwale martyr”.
BAPS Mandir LIT With
“Sant Bhindranwale Is MARTYR” “hindu-stan Murdabad”
“#Modi Is Hitler” @cgimelbourne @HCICanberra Is #Indian #iHeartAwards #GoldenGlobes2023pic.twitter.com/IlboEiBaCd@3aw693@Sanity_3@ishaan_ANI@rohini_sgh@Tushar15_
— Hayat (@hayyatayy) January 11, 2023
A regular visitor to the temple in the city's northern suburb told The Australia Today “all walls were coloured with graffiti of Khalistani hatred towards Hindus.”
He said he was “angry, scared and dismayed by the blatant display of religious hatred … by Khalistan supporters.”
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a global spiritual organisation that runs the temple, said it was “deeply saddened by the anti-India graffiti” written by “anti-social elements”.
It said in a statement that the temple “is an abode of peace, harmony, equality, selfless service, and universal Hindu values”.
It expressed gratitude to the governments of Australia and India as well as local community organisations “for their continued support.”
“BAPS Mandirs across Australia are symbols of a thriving multicultural society which nurture Australian values of respect, mateship and tolerance”, the statement said.
His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of the Sanstha, prayed for peace and unity and appealed to all devotees and well-wishers to maintain peace, it said.
Lily D’Ambrosio, a minister in the Australian state of Victoria condemned the vandalism saying, “there is no place in our community for such attacks”.
She reached out to the temple to express her concern about the attack and hoped the authorities would bring those responsible to account.
She said: “Mandir is a very important site for worship across broader Melbourne and is used to host many events that grow a better understanding of the rich diversity of our community amongst all of us.”
The vandalism in Melbourne comes months after a similar desecration of a temple run by the Samstha in the Canadian city of Toronto.
A statue of Indian freedom movement hero Mahatma Gandhi which stood in front of a Hindu temple in New York was found destroyed in August last year.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem on June 15, 2026.
Netanyahu faces backlash for calling Britain ‘Islamic Republic’
Highlights
ISRAELI prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the UK as the “Islamic Republic of Britain”, drawing criticism amid growing tensions between the two countries.
Netanyahu made the comments during an interview for Israel's army radio while discussing British media coverage of Israel.
Praising journalist Randolph Churchill, son of former British prime minister Winston Churchill, for his coverage of Israel more than 50 years ago, Netanyahu said: “Go find that in today's Britain, in what is called the Islamic republic of Britain.”
When the interviewer asked whether Netanyahu was singling out Britain unfairly because other European countries had also become critical of Israel, he went further.
“Yes, but you know someone said the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic republic of Britain,” he said.
Pakistan, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1990s.
Netanyahu's remarks have been criticised by political figures and Jewish organisations in Britain.
Avi Dabush, a member of Israel's opposition Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of attacking a key ally while Israel faces growing international isolation.
“That’s what happens when there’s a horrific diplomatic failure, and an inability to rally countries in the world in favour of our interests,” he said in a social media post.
'Dangerous and divisive'
The Movement for Progressive Judaism also criticised the comments, saying they were dangerous and divisive.
“At a time when antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and social division are causing real fear across our country, language of this kind is dangerous and irresponsible,” said its co-leads Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Lev.
“Prime minister Netanyahu does not speak for British Jews. His words do not represent us,” they added.
Gavin Barwell, a former Downing Street chief of staff, described Netanyahu's comments as “blatant Islamophobia”.
Relations between Britain and Israel have become increasingly strained in recent years, with London taking a tougher position over Israel's military actions in Gaza and settlement policy.
British prime minister Andy Burnham has said the UK should do more to put pressure on the Israeli government, including considering further sanctions and measures to restrict trade in goods from illegal settlements.
Netanyahu's comments also echoed remarks made by US vice president JD Vance during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he suggested the UK could become the first “truly Islamist country” with nuclear weapons.
The Israeli prime minister's office did not immediately respond to questions about whether his comments represented the official position of the Israeli government. The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also did not immediately comment.