Anthony Albanese booed as thousands attend beach vigil for terrorist attack
It was commemorated as the night of peace and unity. That was until Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came along.
The crowd, gathered on the grass overlooking the ocean and embracing their old friends with shared pain, suddenly stood up as one. He booed and shouted “shame”. The anger was electric. The gun flickered along the beach to the footbridge where two gunmen opened fire almost hourly at a peaceful Hanukkah celebration a week ago.
Albanese stared straight ahead, his face fixed in a fixed gaze. Moments later, the boos turned to cheers when former prime minister John Howard, who last week said the attack was related to antisemitism because of the guns, entered and waved.
The anger towards Albanese was palpable. It was already boiling before he arrived. A member of the crowd said, “If Albo comes, I…” and cut him off before he could finish his sentence. A mourner ran towards the prime minister when he arrived, causing the police to stop him.
The Prime Minister was booed again when he was introduced to the crowd by David Ossip, Chairman of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, after a minute’s silence. Following this reception, Prime Minister Chris Minns, NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane and the father of Ahmed al Ahmed, who was shot when he neutralized the gunman, received a standing ovation.
“The terrorists chose the wrong community to infect because we, the Jewish people, are indestructible,” Ossip told the crowd, also calling for a royal commission to be established following last Sunday’s massacre.
Anger at the prime minister was put aside when it came time to mourn. Thousands of people had gathered on the beach on Sunday evening for another reason; To commemorate the 15 people who died. But their pain and howls of pain last week made the moment of silence even more stark. As dusk fell at 6.47pm, silence fell over Bondi. It was like thunder in its unity and power.
Hanukkah celebrates the victory of light over darkness. This past week Sydney felt truly dark. But the menorah candles at Sunday’s vigil stood softly against the twilight, signaling a determination that the darkness would not win. As night fell, a spotlight shot a beam of light into the sky.
Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, whose son-in-law Eli Schlanger was killed in the attack, said, “May the memories of those we lost be fruitful, may the wounded be healed, may our pain be relieved, may all heroes be blessed and rewarded.”
The crowd numbered thousands. A woman who wanted to be known only as Della was one of the first to arrive. “I was born in Bondi,” he said. “Bondi is my heart and soul. My mother and father came from the Holocaust, they were the only survivors in the family. I don’t live nearby anymore, but she is my heart and soul… I couldn’t be anywhere else.”
They ranged from the elderly to the very young. While Governor-General Sam Mostyn spoke of barbarism and read a letter from the King, two pre-school children lay in the crowd with their mothers, listening and chewing on lollipops. “What is barbarism?” they asked. Their mother caressed their foreheads silently and sadly.
From the buildings rising above the fenced guard area, heavily armed snipers stood with their guns. The beach was full of security and police, including the Tactical Operations Unit and riot squad patrolling the area.
The most powerful people in the country attended the vigil ceremony. Minns was there wearing a kippah, as was state Finance Minister Daniel Mookhey and upper house speaker Penny Sharpe. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley arrived with NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, who described her experience rushing to Bondi as soon as she heard about the attack last week.
Last week, gunmen opened fire just before the menorah, the Hanukkah candlestick, was to be lit at 7 p.m. Another was burned at the vigil in their memory.
The candles were lit by the heroes of the terrorist attack, including Mohammed, father of the hero Ahmed al-Ahmad; first responders and lifesavers; Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, on behalf of the Police; and SES chaplain Vladimir Kotlyar, who treated the wounded. Relatives of some of those killed also lit candles.
Bondi Beach incident helplines:
- Bondi Beach Victim Services 1800 411 822
- Bondi Beach Public Information and Research Center 1800 227 228
- NSW Mental Health Line 1800 011 511or Lifeline is open 13 11 14
- Child Helpline is open 1800 55 1800 or chat online at: kidshelpline.com.au
Jordan Baker is Chief Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously Education Editor.Connect with: excitement or email.
