The families of those murdered in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack have called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to launch a Commonwealth Royal Commission into what they describe as a “rapid rise of antisemitism” across the country, warning that more lives are at risk without government action.
15 people were murdered and dozens wounded when father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram opened fire on a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14. Authorities have classified the incident as an antisemitic terrorist attack.
In a letter sent Monday and quoted by AFP, the bereaved families urged Prime Minister Albanese to “immediately establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the rapid rise of antisemitism in Australia” and to examine the “law enforcement, intelligence, and policy failures that led to the Bondi Beach massacre.”
“We demand answers and solutions,” the families wrote. “We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how antisemitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to dangerously grow unchecked, and what changes must be made to protect all Australians going forward.”
Prime Minister Albanese has so far resisted calls for a federal inquiry, saying the focus should be on “urgent action rather than division and delay.” He stated last week that a New South Wales-led royal commission would suffice and pledged full federal support.
Canberra has announced proposed reforms to gun ownership and hate speech laws, along with a review of policing and intelligence operations.
But the Bondi families dismissed the government’s response as “not nearly enough.”
“We have lost parents, spouses, children, and grandparents. Our loved ones were celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach, a festival of light and joy, in an iconic public space that should have been safe,” they said in their letter, as quoted by AFP. “You owe us answers. You owe us accountability. And you owe Australians the truth.”
Calling the rise of antisemitism a “national crisis,” the families warned that the “threat was not going away.”
“We need strong action now. We need leadership now. You cannot bring back our loved ones. But with a well-led Commonwealth Royal Commission and strong action, you may be able to save many more.”
Even before the Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, Australia had seen a sharp wave of antisemitism, including the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.
Days after the arson at Adass Israel, a car was set on fire, and two properties were vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, which has a substantial Jewish population.
In another incident, the words "F- the Jews" were spray-painted on a car in Sydney.
In early January, the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah, a suburb of the city, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
A day later, the Newtown synagogue, located in Sydney’s inner west, was vandalized with red swastikas that were spray-painted across the building’s front wall.