Former prime minister John Howard attended the vigil at Bondi Beach to honor the victims of Sunday’s terrorist attack. Howard laid flowers at the memorial, joining community members in mourning the lives lost.
Howard expressed his sadness and frustration following the attack. “I want to add my sense of sadness and my condolences, and also my anger at what happened in our country on Sunday,” he said.
“It has disabused everybody of the idea that it can’t happen here. It can happen here, when forces of hatred are allowed to go unchecked. Authorities had not done enough since October 7, 2023, to counter the spread of antisemitism. I hope that this terrible event will be a wake-up call to those who’ve been asleep at the wheel on this issue,” he added.
Howard also highlighted the role of gun laws in limiting the scale of the tragedy, “If the guns my crackdown removed after Port Arthur had still legally been available - automatic and semi-automatic weapons - the death toll, gruesome though it was, would have been infinitely bigger,” he said.
“No sensible man or woman would say that if these weapons were still available this Sunday’s attack would not have happened,” he added. “But what you can say is, that governments and individuals can do a lot to discourage the spread of prejudice, antisemitism, and hatred of Jewish people.
“I don’t think the present federal government and Prime Minister have done enough in that area since 2023.”