One of Australia’s most recognizable street art series has been hijacked to feature one of the Bondi Beach terrorists, with dozens of copycat posters plastered across Melbourne’s CBD, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
City of Melbourne staff worked around the clock to remove the material, which authorities described as hateful and distressing.
About 40 imitation versions of artist Peter Drew’s well-known “Aussie" posters appeared last week. The knock-offs used the same bold typeface beneath an image of Naveed Akram, one of the two terrorists behind the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre that killed 15 people and injured dozens more.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion condemned the posters as “devastating and disrespectful" to the victims and to Drew.
“The Bondi terrorists will fade into history and their names will be forgotten," he said, as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. “The people who will be remembered are the victims, the survivors, and the heroes who rushed in to help. They represent the true Aussie spirit."
Drew’s posters, which depict Australians photographed in the early 1900s with the word “Aussie" in large type, have been displayed nationwide for a decade. Created in 2016 in response to anti-immigration sentiment, the series aimed to challenge assumptions about Australian identity. The most iconic image features Monga Khan, an Afghan cameleer, while another shows a young Jewish boy.
Drew said the imitation posters undermined the intent of the series. “It is more the statement rather than the quantity. I have to go out there and put out hundreds, but they can just put out a few to make the point," he said.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece denounced the hijacking of the artwork. “For Drew’s work to be hijacked and appropriated into images of hatred and division is absolutely abhorrent. To use the image of the Bondi shooter is just sick. Families are still grieving, the community is still grieving."
On Tuesday, the Victorian parliament offered condolences to the victims of the December 14 terror attack on the Jewish community at Bondi Beach. Premier Jacinta Allan apologized to Jewish Australians, saying, “The truth is that governments let you down. Your fears were real. Your warnings were clear. And we failed. I want you to know how sorry I am."
Naveed Akram, an Australian-born citizen, remains in prison and has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders. He carried out the attack with his father, Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot dead by police during the attack.
Police and intelligence agencies are facing scrutiny over whether they could have intervened earlier. Naveed Akram had been flagged by Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019 but later fell off the radar after being deemed no imminent threat.