Australian state to ban intifada chants after Bondi shooting
EPAThe Australian state where the Bondi attack took place plans to ban the phrase “globalising the intifada” as part of a crackdown on “hateful” slogans.
New South Wales (NSW) premier Chris Minns also called for a Royal Commission into the Bondi shooting, Australia’s deadliest shooting in nearly 30 years.
Last Sunday, 15 people were killed and dozens injured when two gunmen believed to be motivated by the “Islamic State ideology” opened fire on a Jewish festival on the country’s most iconic beach.
Australian state and federal governments have announced a range of measures to counter extremism since the attack.
Minns plans to recall the state legislature next week to push for tougher hate speech and gun restrictions. Earlier this week he also suggested he would tighten protest laws to reduce mass demonstrations in a bid to encourage a “calm summer”.
The Prime Minister confirmed that he would seek to classify the slogan “Globalize the Intifada” as hate speech.
On Wednesday, two pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested for allegedly chanting intifada slogans at a demonstration in central London.
The term intifada began to be widely used in 1987 during the Palestinian uprising against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Some have described the term as a call for violence against the Jewish people. Others said it was a call for peaceful resistance to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and its actions in Gaza.
Earlier this week, Minns attended the funeral of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi attack, alongside NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane. He read a poem dedicated to the young girl at the event.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new gun buyback scheme to address the purchase of surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms. The government predicts that hundreds of thousands of weapons will be collected and destroyed.
Nearly 1,000 lifeguards held a memorial service on Saturday, lining up arm in arm on the shoreline of Bondi beach overlooking the ocean. Surf lifesavers at other Australian beaches were photographed performing a similar tribute.
Throughout the week, Bondi’s surfing volunteers were named among the heroes of the shooting. Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed running quickly from a nearby beach carrying a red bag of medical supplies during the attack.
Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled along Bondi beach yesterday, forming a giant circle to remember the victims of the attack.
On Sunday, Australia will hold a national day of reflection with the theme of “light over darkness”, marking exactly one week after the attack, starting with a minute’s silence at 18:47 (0747 GMT).
Flags will be flown at half-mast and Australians will be asked to light a candle in their window to remember the victims.
“Sixty seconds from the noise of daily life are reserved for the 15 Australians who should be with us today,” Prime Minister Albanese told reporters on Saturday.
“There will be a momentary pause to reflect and affirm that hate and violence will never define us as Australians.”
Bondi’s attack was Australia’s worst mass shooting since Port Arthur in 1996, when 35 people were killed, prompting then-Prime Minister John Howard to impose strict gun control measures.
