Brisbane leaders unite against antisemitism at City Hall rally

An emotional Mayor Adrian Schrinner fought back tears as he spoke about the victims of the Bondi massacre, particularly 10-year-old Matilda.

“This might have been their perfect day out, but it wasn’t a perfect day; it was Matilda’s last day, and the last day her family would be happy,” Schrinner said, his voice breaking.

“This [Matilda’s parents’] words. Can you imagine the unquenchable pain? Was their innocent, happy daughter taken or stolen from them?

“Matilda is our daughter now. Matilda is Australia’s daughter, but our nation has let Matilda down.”

Schrinner said political and religious extremism had been allowed to grow in Australia “because of our weakness as a nation”. He also had a nuanced criticism of the federal government, which is working with states to further strengthen gun laws.

“Don’t get distracted. This isn’t about guns; there will always be other guns,” he said.

“And this isn’t about immigrants. Just ask Syrian Ahmed al-Ahmed, who bravely disarmed one of the shooters, or Amandeep Singh, who crossed the road to help police restrain the other attacker.

“Both immigrants, both protectors of the innocent, both true Australians.”

Prime Minister David Crisafulli said last Sunday’s events in Bondi had been two years in the making.

“We will do our best to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again, but we must address the root cause,” he said.

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“There were those who either ignored those who were prepared to incite violence against people on the basis of faith, or were even prepared to stand with them.

For the sake of the 15 innocent lives lost, for the sake of who we are as a nation, we cannot do this.

Other speakers included Opposition Leader Steven Miles, Catholic Archbishop Shane Mackinlay, Anglican Archbishop Jeremy Greaves and Holland Park Mosque Imam Uzair Akbar.

“The beautiful country of Australia is our common home. It is a place where people of different faiths, origins and histories live side by side,” Akbar said.

“This diversity is not an accident and it is not a weakness. It is a trust, and with it comes great responsibility – the responsibility to protect each other’s safety, the responsibility to speak with restraint and honesty, and the responsibility to stand together when hatred threatens any of us.”

“Solidarity doesn’t mean we all think the same. It means we agree on something much more important, something much bigger: human dignity is non-negotiable and violence against civilians is never, ever acceptable.”

“Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and dehumanization in all its forms feed from the same source: fear combined with silence.

“When good people hesitate to speak out, hate has room to grow.”

A small crowd sang before the doors opened Advance Australia Fair After the speech in front of the city hall Am Yisrael Chai – It means “the people of Israel are alive.”