Man charged with 53 hate crimes in Sydney's inner west, including alleged spray-painting of Nazi symbol
NSW Police allege the 21-year-old's offending started on April 22. (ABC News: Aaron Hollett)
In short:
A 21-year-old man charged with 53 hate-related crimes in Sydney's west, including the alleged spray painting of a Nazi symbol, will remain behind bars.
NSW Police say the offending started in late April.
What's next?
The matter will return to court next week.
A man has been charged with 53 hate-related crimes in Sydney's inner west, including the alleged spray painting of a Nazi symbol.
Felix Kiera, 21, is accused of spray-painting offensive messages and swastikas on buildings and political posters in Newtown and Erskineville on multiple occasions since April.
Warning: This story contains an image of a Nazi symbol.
His case was briefly mentioned at Newtown Local Court on Monday, where he is facing 53 hate-related charges including 21 counts of drawing Nazi symbols and 23 charges of destroying or damaging property.
Lawyers for the accused did not apply for bail but told the court his client intended to apply for his release next week.
Court documents alleged the man started by graffitiing at the Pride Square display at Newtown in the early hours of April 22.
A short time later, he then allegedly defaced multiple federal election campaign posters belonging to candidates for The Greens and Socialist Alliance, including NSW Greens senator Mehreen Faruqui.
Swastika was graffitied on a sign at front of Newtown's The Imperial Hotel. (Supplied)
The man allegedly then continued his spree through several Erskineville streets, where he is accused of drawing black swastikas before damaging a LGBTIQIA+ welcome sign on The Imperial Hotel.
Over the next two weeks, he allegedly vandalised The Courthouse Hotel in Newtown five times and nearby Coopers Hotel on one occasion.
Police were patrolling the Petersham area in the early hours of Sunday morning, when the accused was spotted defacing stickers on a Crystal Street business, in support of First Nations peoples and the LGBTQ+ community.
'Those flags have a lot of meaning'
On April 29, Inner West Police Area Command appealed for information on social media after political posters were defaced in Newtown, Enmore and Erskineville.
At the time, they wrote that "27 political posters, two structures and a sign outside a hotel" had been vandalised, with some of the items "subject to forensic examination".
Felicity Moody is owner of the Wattle and Bee plant store in Petersham, where the man was arrested.
Felicity Moody says the flags above her shop door have a lot of meaning. (ABC News: Aaron Hollett)
At the shop's entrance, below the welcome sign, there are four flags — the Trans, Rainbow, Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal flags — which had been sprayed over, in what Ms Moody described as "very hateful".
"The police officer just happened to be driving past as he was attacking my shop," she said.
"I'm very grateful, I was woken up at the middle of the night last night by the police to let me know."
She added that all people were supported and welcomed in her shop, and it was important for her to show that.
"Those flags have a lot of meaning, to not just myself but my customers.
"I will definitely be replacing them; this is not going to put me off. If anything, it's just given me further ammunition to do what I do and be as welcoming and as accepting as I can."
The matter will return to court next Tuesday.