Australian PM heckled at Bondi memorial as Hanukkah beach shooting reignites country’s antisemitism and gun control debate

Australian PM Anthony Albanese

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by sections of the crowd at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday night as thousands gathered to mourn victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Jewish Hanukkah event a week earlier.

The memorial, held under heavy security, formed part of a national day of reflection that included a minute’s silence timed to the moment the attack began. Albanese attended wearing a kippah but did not deliver remarks at the event, as anger in parts of the community focused on what critics say has been an inadequate response to a rise in antisemitic threats and incidents since the Gaza war began in 2023.

Online, the confrontation has been repackaged into viral posts that add inflammatory claims and commentary. But the core, verified sequence is this: a shooting at Bondi Beach during a Jewish gathering killed 15 people, one alleged gunman died at the scene, and a second suspect is in custody facing terrorism and murder charges.

Police and court reporting published in the past 24 hours has added new detail about the investigation. Australian authorities allege the accused, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, trained with his father Sajid Akram, and that the pair recorded material indicating ideological motivation. Police also allege improvised explosive devices were brought to the scene, though they did not detonate.

The political fallout is now widening beyond policing into policy. Albanese has announced a review of law enforcement and intelligence handling of the warning signs and licensing controls, alongside a national gun buyback proposal that would tighten access further in a country already defined by strict firearms laws since the Port Arthur massacre.

For now, investigators say the criminal case and security review will proceed in parallel. The deeper question exposed at Bondi is whether Australia can curb extremist violence and antisemitic intimidation without letting grief harden into broader social fracture, especially when misinformation and rage circulate faster than verified facts.