By Antoinette Milienos For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 01:56 EDT, 18 April 2022 | Updated: 01:56 EDT, 18 April 2022

A giant Nazi swastika burned into the grass of a community soccer pitch is still visible despite council knowing of the anti-Semitic symbol for more than a month.  

The 'horrifying' act of vandalism was spotted by the grandson of Holocaust survivors during a helicopter ride over the city of Melbourne.

Chemicals were used to draw the symbol of hate into the grass at Morrison Reserve, in the city's north eastern suburb of Mt Evelyn.

The grandson of a Holocaust survivor spotted the 'horrifying' anti-semitic symbol at Morrison Reserve (pictured)  in Melbourne's north east while on a helicopter ride

The swastika, visible from the ground as well as the air, poisoned and discoloured the field where junior soccer teams frequently train and play.

'My grandfather is the sole survivor of his family,' the man who noticed it told Nine News.

'To see it at that sort of scale is pretty horrifying.

'It's concerning as how does something like that take place? How is there no action, how is there no immediate action?' 

Locals who visit the park said they noticed discolouration in the grass more than a month ago, but many didn't spot what the lines drew out.

Lilydale Eagles Soccer Club met with local council at the beginning of March after it notified the council of the anti-Semitic symbol.   

Yarra Ranges Council advised the soccer club that 'actions such as these were becoming more frequent' in the council's district. 

The council said removal of the highly offensive act of vandalism will 'come at a cost' to ratepayers and opted to cover the dead grass with seed as other options would have put the field out of action for eight weeks.      

Vandals used chemicals to burn and discolour the grass at the Mt Evelyn field. Yarra Ranges Council was notified of the symbol at the beginning of March and have since covered the dead grass with seed as other options would render the field out of action for eight weeks

Victoria is poised to become the first Australian state or territory to ban the public display of Nazi symbols.

The proposed laws, expected to be introduced in the first half of 2022 with bipartisan support, will prohibit the display of swastikas and other hate symbols in public spaces. 

NSW followed suit in preparing laws to outlaw waving a Nazi flag or displaying memorabilia bearing swastikas.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said the bill would 'provide an additional safeguard to the existing protections in NSW against vilifying conduct'.

A NSW parliamentary inquiry in February unanimously recommended a ban on the public display of Nazi symbols.

NSW and Victoria have proposed laws to ban the public display of Nazi symbols. A man was spotted wearing a Nazi-swastika armband (pictured above) in a Melbourne fresh market in February

The Antipodean Resistance (pictured), a Melbourne-based group of radicalised neo-Nazis are just one of the many far-right groups that have sprouted across Australia.

Labor MP Walt Secord, who introduced a bill and has been campaigning for two years on the issue, welcomed the Attorney General's plan

'Sadly, we are seeing a surge in far right-wing activity in Australia and overseas. Put simply, I want to see the public display of Nazi symbols banned in NSW,' he said.  

Fears right wing groups breeding out of Melbourne could try on a Capitol Hill-style riot are growing amid an escalation in right-wing activity.  

Far-right groups opposed to immigration have sprouted up across Australia, with neo-Nazis among their followers in Melbourne. 

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation reported increased sightings of neo-Nazi groups congregating en masse in country Victoria. 

Professor Barton said ASIO was busier than ever dealing with terror threats from right wing groups.

'Jobs that they're working on that involve far right groups, four years ago was 10-15 percent. Now it's 30-40 percent. So it's tripled is basically what they're saying,' he said.

While the world has seen a global increase in neo-Nazi activity over the past 10 years, Professor Barton claims Melbourne has surprised experts with its move to the extreme right. 

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he was a victim of 'obscene' vandalism after one of his election corflutes was graffitied with a swastika.

The Jewish MP for Kooyong shared a picture of a vandalised election poster at the beginning of April. 

'It doesn't matter which political group is on the receiving end, it's just not on. Our community deserves better,' he said.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of Jewish lobby group the Anti-Defamation Commission, said the abhorrent increase in neo-Nazi vandalism will soon make Melbourne the 'swastika capital of Australia.

He said the latest crime 'is a reminder that we need to legislate as quickly as possible the law against the public displays of the Nazi swastika'. 

Josh Frydenberg shared a picture of one of his corflutes where a swastika was graffitied on top of his corflute at the beginning of April

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