Australia Observes Minute of Silence for Bondi Beach Attack Victims

Sun Dec 21 2025 17:48:04 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A nation mourns as tributes pour in for victims of the Bondi Beach shooting, which left 15 dead, including a 10-year-old girl and prominent community figures.

In a poignant display of solidarity, Australians gathered at Bondi Beach for a minute's silence to honor the victims of a recent mass shooting. The event, marking one week since the attack during a Jewish festival, was attended by mourners wearing kippas and draped in Australian flags. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced public backlash at the memorial, with community members demanding accountability in the wake of a rise in antisemitism. As people commemorated the victims, calls for a government investigation into the incidents preceding the attack intensified.

Mourners in Australia have fallen silent in honour of the victims of the Bondi Beach attack. The memorial was part of a national day of reflection to mark a week since the shooting in which two gunmen opened fire on an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hannukah.

A 10-year-old girl, a British-born rabbi and a Holocaust survivor were among the 15 people killed during the attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed when he arrived at the memorial event - an expression of anger by Australia's Jewish community against his government after a rise of antisemitic attacks over the past few months.

As the sun set over Sydney on Sunday evening, a minute's silence was observed at 18:47 (07:47 GMT) - exactly one week since the first reports of gunfire at the famous beach. There was heavy security at the memorial event. Some cordoned-off areas were guarded by armed riot squad officers who had their faces covered, while a police patrol boat was visible off the coast of Bondi Beach.

A large crowd - many wearing kippas or draped in Australian flags - gathered to listen to speeches after the viewing the silence. Bee balloons floated in the wind in honour of the youngest victim of the attack, Matilda - a reference to her nickname, Matilda Bee.

And later in the ceremony, the crowd sang Waltzing Matilda, the song for which the 10-year-old was named. Soon, they were chanting the name of another child - Chaya, a 14-year-old who put herself in the firing line to protect a stranger's children. Shot in the leg, she used crutches to take to the stage and urge the nation to be brave and kind.

If you guys get inspired by one thing, one thing on all this, be the light in that field of darkness, she said.

The event ended with the lighting of the menorah - something the crowds gathered for Hannukah last week couldn't do. Sunday's memorial was not limited to Bondi Beach - or the state of New South Wales. In a nation-wide gesture of light over darkness, the windowsills of countless homes were lined with candles.

As Albanese arrived for the ceremony, one person in the crowd shouted: Blood on your hands. The prime minister looked startled at the hostility, his wife Jodie Haydon grasping his arm in support. At least one member of the crowd was tackled by police after moving towards the prime minister.

The Jewish community in Australia has repeatedly said this attack was a shock, not a surprise after a rise in antisemitic attacks in Australia since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent military retaliation war launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip. Albanese acknowledged the criticism, saying I accept my responsibility for the part in that as prime minister of Australia.

Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. His father Sajid was killed during the attack. Days after the attack, Prime Minister Albanese announced a raft of measures to crack down on hate speech and incitement to violence.