Bondi shooting shows the need to tackle extremist ideas

That Australia’s small Jewish community was targeted highlights the curse of anti-Semitism that has been a part of many societies for far too long. AFP

In addition to the horror of an attack on innocent civilians, part of what has made Sunday’s murderous attack on a Hanukkah event in Australia so shocking is the location of the atrocity itself. With its golden sands, Sydney’s Bondi Beach is not only a world-famous tourist draw, its laid-back atmosphere mirrors the country’s reputation as a safe, tolerant and increasingly diverse nation.

Such values are anathema to the two men who carried out Sunday’s shooting. Opening fire on the community gathering of more than 1,000 people, the gunmen killed at least 15 and injured 40 more, including two police officers. Many more people will have been deeply traumatised by this appalling violence. Police suspect a father and son were responsible, making this terrorist act even more disturbing.

The way in which the Bondi attack was planned and carried out – an indiscriminate shooting spree against a soft target – demonstrated a desire to kill as many people as possible. That the target was Australia’s small Jewish community highlights the curse of anti-Semitism that has been a part of many societies for far too long. Sadly, this repellent form of violent prejudice is on the rise.

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A little over two months ago, two people died when a man drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard at a synagogue in Manchester, England. Research published earlier this year by the Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity in the UK, recorded more than 1,500 anti-Semitic incidents across the country in the first half of 2025, the second-highest total ever reported to the CST in the first six months of any year.

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In the US, the FBI’s 2024 Hate Crime Report released in August found that Jews were the country’s most targeted religious group. In addition, a report released by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry 14 days before the Bondi attack recorded more than 1,600 anti-Jewish incidents across the country between October 1 last year and September 30 this year. A meeting of Jewish diaspora leaders in Sydney on December 3 said that anti-Semitic incidents in Australia were almost five times the level seen before the Hamas-led attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023 and ensuing war on Gaza.

Although anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of prejudice are on the rise, the overwhelming majority of people still reject the kind of hatred that drove Sunday’s killers. Australia’s Muslim community was quick to condemn the shooting, with the Australian National Imams Council saying their “hearts, thoughts and prayers” were with the victims and their families. This innate rejection of violence was also seen in the actions of 43-year-old Sydney resident Ahmed Al Ahmed who was filmed risking his life to tackle and disarm one of the attackers.

This is now a time for sympathy and solidarity. Many countries, including the UAE, have made clear their abhorrence at what took place on Bondi Beach at the weekend. What comes next is arguably more challenging. Fostering tolerance and countering extremism are long-term challenges that are often made more difficult by those determined to sow division and hatred. Looking into drivers of extremism, including poisonous militant ideologies is vital. Australia is a modern, pluralistic society that has suffered a grievous blow. But, as distressing as the scenes from Bondi Beach were, the country must not allow its core values to be swayed by the actions of a fanatical minority. In this, it has the support of its friends and allies around the world.