Anthony Albanese received a frosty reception during a memorial event for the Bondi Beach attack today.
The Australian prime minister was booed as he said that rallies planned in the wake of the terror attack were ‘seeking to sow division’.
A national day of reflection was called for today to pay respect to the victims of the antisemitic attack, which targeted a Chabad-organised Hanukkah party.
Father and son duo Sajid and Naveed Akram opened fire at an event attended by more than 1,000 people to mark the Jewish festival of light, killing 15.
Sajid was shot dead by police at the scene, while Naveed, 24, has been charged with 59 offences.
A total of 13 people remain in hospital with injuries, with one in a critical condition and three in a critical but stable condition.
Australians observed a minute of silence at 6.47pm local time, the time of the attack, with flags also flying at half mast on government buildings.
The memorial event was also attended by Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who represents the King in Australia, who described the attack as ‘unspeakably, ghastly, acts of horror’.
Mr Albanese urged people to not go on planned marches, saying that they should not go ahead.
He said: ‘Terrorists have sought to divide this country but this is a time to stand united – particularly on this National Day of Reflection.
‘For our Jewish community, the pain is deep. For people across the country, the shock is still raw.
‘Together, we will fight against antisemitism in every form.’
New South Wales police said it had not authorised the protest at Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park.
Mr Albanese has come under fire from some in Australia’s Jewish community who accuse him of not doing enough to tackle antisemitism while incidents increased in recent years.
In the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack, the chief minister of Sydney’s Great Synagogue said anti-Jewish hate had become a ‘massive issue’ since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Rabbi Benjamin Elton told Metro: ‘There’s been a multi fold increase in the number of anti semitic incidents since October 7, compared to before October 7.
‘Last year was an all-time high. This year was only second to that.
‘About 12 months ago, there were fire bombings of synagogues in Sydney and Melbourne, there was a fire bombing of a Jewish business belonging to a member of my community, my synagogue.’
Albanese has since launched a national gun buyback after the Bondi attack exposed loopholes in legislation and announced plans to toughen anti-hate laws.
New legislation being considered could halt protests in the wake of terror attack for up to three months, extendable in two-week increments.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
