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What you need to know
By Ellen Connolly
As Australia and the world continues to grapple with the horror of the Bondi Beach attack, grief and heartbreak have erupted into anger, with the prime minister facing mounting criticism for failing to act on rising antisemitism.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Surviving gunman Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders. He declined to be interviewed by police.
- The second shooter, Akram’s father Sajid Akram, 50, was an Indian national, who died at the scene after being shot by a local detective.
- The father and son appear to have been inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group, and had travelled to the Philippines in November.
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In a passionate speech at Bondi, former treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the prime minister must take personal responsibility for the deaths of 15 innocent people.
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Questions are also being raised over why just three police officers were assigned to a public event attended by more than 1000 Jewish people.
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NSW Premier Chris Minns will recall parliament next week to tighten gun laws.
- A funeral for the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda, will be held today.
- Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman and grandfather Tibor Weitzen will also be farewelled today.
- Seventeen people remain in hospital – one of them is in a critical condition.
- Parts of the Bondi crime scene have reopened, with family members of the victims allowed to walk through the scene yesterday.
- Some New Year’s Eve events in Bondi have been cancelled.
UK police plan tougher action against antisemitic chants and protests
British police will take tougher action against people who use placards and chants to target the Jewish community, saying recent violent incidents have changed the context around such protests.
The move comes days after 15 people died in a mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach targeting an event for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, and following an attack at a synagogue in Manchester in northern England in October in which two Jewish worshippers were killed.
“We know communities are concerned about placards and chants such as ‘globalise the intifada’ and those using it at future protests or in a targeted way should expect the Met and GMP to take action,” London’s Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police said in a joint statement.
“Violent acts have taken place, the context has changed – words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests.”
Jewish groups have been calling for tougher action over the language used at pro-Palestinian protests, while the Community Security Trust (CST), which works to provide security to protect British Jews, says antisemitic incidents have been soaring in Britain.
Reuters
‘This is an insult’: Frydenberg fires back at ABC journalist
By Ellen Connolly
Josh Frydenberg has angrily hit back at the 7.30 Report host Sarah Ferguson, who asked the former treasurer if his call for stronger action on anti-Semitism by the prime minister was politically motivated.
“I’m deeply offended by what you just said. I’m deeply offended,” Frydenberg responded. “That is an insult to say that there’s any political motivation in this.”
The former politician said his motivation comes from his daily life and the fact there are armed guards outside his kids’ school and police cars outside sporting clubs.
“Why should we live with this? If I’m not going to speak out, who is? If not now, when? If not me, who?,” he told Ferguson on the flagship ABC program.
The exchange came a day after high-profile ABC journalist Laura Tingle claimed Sunday’s terrorist attack on a Jewish festival was not motivated by religion.
Speaking on the ABC Politics Now podcast on Tuesday, Tingle said the actions of the terrorists “have got nothing to do with religion”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attackers were “deliberately targeting the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
