During a solemn vigil at Bondi Beach on Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced boos while paying tribute to the victims of a recent shooting. The event, which drew an estimated 10,000 mourners, was attended by a mix of Australian politicians and members of the Jewish community.
David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, addressed the gathering and noted the Prime Minister’s presence, which triggered a wave of disapproval from the crowd. “This has to be the nadir of antisemitism in our country,” Ossip declared. “This has to be the moment when light starts to eclipse the darkness.”
In contrast, the mention of opposition leader Sussan Ley sparked applause. Ley has promised that under her leadership, a coalition government would reverse Albanese’s administration’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, a move that has been controversial.
The vigil was a poignant moment, with Albanese accompanied by his wife, Jodie Haydon, as they arrived to honor those lost in the tragic event. The reaction at the memorial underscores the tension surrounding the government’s handling of antisemitism, an issue that Jewish leaders and Israeli officials have criticized Albanese’s administration for failing to address adequately in the lead-up to the Bondi Beach attack.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, center, and his wife Jodie Haydon, second from left, arrive for a memorial for the victims of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach on Dec. 21, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Izhar Khan/Getty Images)
The tense reaction comes after Jewish leaders and Israeli officials have lambasted Albanese’s government for ignoring warning signs of Australia’s rising antisemitism in the months before the attack on Bondi Beach.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted a letter he sent to Albanese earlier this year when the latter’s government announced it was recognizing a Palestinian state. He argued the move “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Albanese’s handling of antisemitism. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia. You did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing inside your country. You took no action. You let the disease spread and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today,” Netanyahu said the day of the attack.
The Dec. 14 attack left 15 people dead and dozens more hospitalized. The shooters were a father-son duo, and the father was killed in the attack. The son, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, woke from a coma after recovering from severe injuries and faces charges of murder and terrorism.
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