Australia Mourns One Week After the Attack on a Sydney Beach
Australia comes together in mourning one week after the anti-Semitic attack committed by two men against participants at a Jewish festival on an iconic beach in Sydney.
On December 14, the attackers, Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian who entered Australia on a visa in 1998, and his son Naveed Akram, born in the country 24 years ago, opened fire at a gathering for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach.
According to authorities, the attack, for which the father, who was shot on-site, and the son are suspected, was motivated by the ideology of the jihadist group ISIS.
The son, Naveed Akram, seriously injured by police, is hospitalized under heavy police surveillance and has been charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder.
Exactly one week after the first report of the shots fired at 6:47 PM Sunday (07:47 GMT), Australians will observe a minute of silence across the country, invited to reflect on "light against darkness."
Flags will be flown at half-mast, and people are encouraged to place a candle in front of their windows in honor of the victims and in solidarity with the Jewish community, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Saturday.
"This will be sixty seconds taken away from the noise of daily life, dedicated to the 15 Australians who should be with us today," said the Prime Minister, who will join the commemorations at Bondi Beach.
"It will be a moment to reflect and affirm that hate and violence will never define us as Australians."
Authorities are also discussing with the Jewish community about a permanent memorial on the beach, as well as a national day of mourning in early 2026.
Many Australians have already paid tribute to the victims in their own way.
On Friday, hundreds of surfers and swimmers gathered for a tribute on this beach, symbolic of the Australian lifestyle, forming a giant circle in the waves.
"They massacred innocent victims, and today, I swim here and find my community to rekindle hope," said Jason Carr, 53, a security consultant, to AFP.
On Saturday, lifeguards observed three minutes of silence along the Bondi Beach shoreline, some crying or embracing.
The massacre has forced the country to reconsider its policies against anti-Semitism and acknowledge its failure to protect Australian Jews.
Authorities are working to respond to the shock and emotion caused by this anti-Semitic attack, the deadliest shooting in Australia in decades.
The government has announced a strengthening of laws against extremism and gun possession.
Several acts of heroism by Australians have also been revealed. Fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed slipped between parked cars during the attack before wresting a gun from one of the assailants. Severely injured in the shoulder, he has been hailed as a "hero."
Many members of the Jewish community have criticized the labor government, feeling that their alarm over the rise of anti-Semitism since October 7 has not been heeded.
According to Rabbi Yossi Friedman, "the message has been clear for over two years." "Do we feel safe? To be honest, not really."
A series of funerals have been organized this week by families, including particularly poignant ones for young Matilda, 10 years old.
A team of police and intelligence investigators is now looking into the movements and contacts of the two suspects, including a trip they made to the southern Philippines a few weeks before the attack.
"We will identify the methods, means, and connections of these alleged criminals to determine with whom they communicated before the attack," said Krissy Barrett, head of the Australian Federal Police.
When asked Sunday whether the attack could have been prevented, Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales where Sydney is located, responded, "I don't know. This is something that keeps me awake at night and concerns me greatly."
