Police are looking for those responsible for plastering posters promoting the lynching and deportation of prominent politicians and media personalities across Sydney's inner west.

The posters, which have been spotted in Petersham and since taken down, resemble Pokemon playing cards and have photos of Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Waleed Aly and the ABC's Yassmin Abdel-Magied alongside the phrases "gotta catch and hang em all" and "gotta catch and deport em all".

A Petersham resident said she spotted two of the posters near her home on Monday morning.

"I was just walking down to the 7-Eleven when I saw them, and I thought they were appalling," said the 25-year-old, who doesn't want to be named.