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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by an aggravated assemblage gathered astatine the celebrated Bondi formation on Sunday (December 21, 2025) to honour the victims of a gun attack a week earlier that targeted a seaside Jewish Hanukkah festival event.
The federation marked a time of reflection connected Sunday (December 21, 2025) to honour the 15 radical killed and the dozens wounded successful the onslaught by 2 gunmen. With information choky and flags astatine half-staff connected authorities buildings, a infinitesimal of soundlessness was held astatine 6:47 p.m. (7:47 GMT), the clip the onslaught began.
Television and vigor networks paused for a minute’s silence.
Tens of thousands, including Mr. Albanese and different leaders, attended the memorial that was guarded by a dense constabulary presence, including snipers connected rooftops and constabulary boats successful the waters.
Mr. Albanese was booed by the assemblage connected arrival, and aboriginal erstwhile the talker mentioned his sanction during the memorial. He sat connected the beforehand enactment wearing a kippah, the accepted Jewish cap.
Mr. Albanese, nether unit from critics who say his centre-left authorities has not done capable to curb a surge successful anti-Semitism since the commencement of the genocide in Gaza, was not scheduled to talk astatine the event.
The authorities has said it has consistently denounced anti-Semitism implicit the past 2 years and passed authorities to criminalise hatred speech. It expelled the Iranian Ambassador earlier this twelvemonth aft accusing Tehran of directing 2 anti-Semitic arson attacks.
“We person mislaid our innocence....last week took our innocence,” David Ossip, the president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said successful a code to commencement the proceedings astatine Bondi.
“Like the writer present astatine Bondi was stained with blood, so, too, has our federation been stained. We person landed up successful a acheronian place. But friends, Hanukkah teaches america that airy tin illuminate adjacent the bleakest of places. A azygous enactment of courage, a azygous occurrence of hope, tin springiness us absorption and constituent the way forward.”
Also contiguous astatine the memorial was the begetter of Ahmed al Ahmed, hailed arsenic the ‘Bondi Hero’ for wrestling a weapon from 1 of the attackers.
Authorities invited Australians to airy a candle astatine location connected Sunday (December 21, 2025) night, the commencement of the eighth and last time of the Jewish festival of lights.
‘Reclaiming Bondi’
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who was cheered and praised astatine the memorial, said the onslaught was an effort to marginalise, scatter, intimidate and origin fear.
“You person reclaimed Bondi Beach for us,” helium said.
Mr. Albanese announced a reappraisal of the country’s instrumentality enforcement and quality agencies earlier connected Sunday (December 21, 2025). He said the review, to beryllium led by a erstwhile main of Australia’s spy agency, would probe whether national constabulary and quality agencies person the “right powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements successful spot to support Australians safe”.
The onslaught exposed gaps successful gun-license assessments and information-sharing betwixt agencies that policymakers person said they privation to plug. Mr. Albanese has announced a nationwide weapon buyback, portion weapon information experts accidental the nation’s weapon laws, among the world's toughest, are riddled with loopholes.
Authorities are investigating the shooting arsenic an enactment of coercion targeting Jews. Patrols and policing crossed the state person been ramped up to forestall further anti-Semitic violence. Authorities judge the gunmen were inspired by militant Sunni Muslim radical Islamic State.
“The ISIS-inspired atrocity past Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing information situation successful our nation. Our information agencies indispensable beryllium successful the champion presumption to respond,” Mr. Albanese said successful a statement, adding that the reappraisal would reason by the extremity of April.
The Bondi Beach onslaught was the astir superior of a drawstring of anti-Semitic incidents successful Australia, which person included attacks connected synagogues, buildings and cars, since Israel launched the warfare successful October 2023, successful effect to an onslaught by Hamas.
Mr. Albanese condemned anti-immigration rallies being held successful Sydney and Melbourne connected Sunday (December 21, 2025). Only astir 200 radical were astatine the Sydney rally.
