I wrote this piece for Victory Girls Blog, where it was originally published. I’m sharing it here as part of An Americanist’s Field Notes.
Bondi Beach Was Not a Surprise. It Was Permission.
Terrorists targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on the first night of the holiday. That attack killed at least eleven people and wounded nearly thirty others at an event attended by families and children. Authorities later classified it as antisemitic terrorism directed at the Jewish community.
From Excused Rhetoric to Bloodshed
Images and videos now circulating online are difficult to watch. Media coverage shows terrified children caught in the chaos, along with the panic, the injuries, and the length of time the attack continued before it was stopped.
I can’t believe what I’ve just watched.
This is what Labour MP Lola McEvoy said following the terror attack on Bondi Beach.
“We should try to detoxify the way we think of people who aren’t like us, because *diversity is our strength*”
This is what you call suicidal empathy. pic.twitter.com/cWaDzDAqnD
— Lee Harris (@LeeHarris) December 14, 2025
This did not happen because leaders overlooked antisemitism. It happened because they indulged it. After October 7, Australians did not merely tolerate hostility toward Jews. Activists normalized it, officials rationalized it, and some openly celebrated it. Marches filled the streets. Chants called for Jewish death. Each time, leadership chose excuses over consequences.
Australia chose to pursue recognition of a Palestinian state even as antisemitic intimidation surged domestically, sending a signal that symbolism mattered more than confronting the violence already unfolding.
When Government Signals Permission, Terrorists Act
Bondi Beach is not a policing failure. It is the inevitable result of a political culture that treated antisemitism as a fashionable grievance rather than a lethal ideology. Anthony Albanese presided over that culture. His government watched as Jew hatred escalated from slogans to threats to arson and then acted surprised when it turned into mass murder.
Terrorists move when they sense permission. After October 7, leaders indulged antisemitism, rewarded Israel hatred, and brushed off Jewish fear. The signal was unmistakable.
Bondi Beach happened under this government. The responsibility sits with the prime minister.
Repeated Warnings. Repeated Inaction.
The warnings were clear. Jewish communities did not whisper their concerns. They said plainly that something had shifted after October 7. Leaders ignored those warnings. They indulged protesters. Officials hid behind talk of nuance while threats escalated. Bondi Beach is where that neglect ended.
Anthony Albanese has served as prime minister since May 2022. Every major surge in antisemitic intimidation after October 7 unfolded on his watch. Attackers targeted synagogues. Threats followed Jewish leaders. Protesters openly celebrated Hamas while insisting they merely criticized Israel. Leaders treated each incident as isolated, minimized each one, and drew no serious line.
This Is What Indulgence Produces
Bondi Beach did not represent a sudden breakdown. It marked the end of a long chain of indulgence. A society trained to excuse Jew hatred does not get to feign shock when a terrorist attack follows.
Australia is not the only place where this logic has taken hold. In New York City, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani rose to power by normalizing rhetoric that turns opposition to Israel into hostility toward Jews. His allies frame Jewish identity as colonial and treat Israel’s existence as illegitimate. That language no longer sits on the fringe. Political power now carries it.
Bondi Beach is the Consequence. Mamdani is the Warning.
Mamdani has condemned the Bondi Beach attack, as any elected official should. Statements after the fact do not erase the language that shaped the climate beforehand. Anyone can denounce violence once blood has been spilled. The real test is who gets elevated and empowered. Mamdani’s staffing choices raise serious questions about whether antisemitic framing is being confronted or quietly carried forward. Words only matter until actions take over.
That matters because this is not confined to Australia. Jewish communities in the United States have already been forced into defensive posture. After October 7, synagogues increased security, schools locked down, and families altered daily life. Parents warned children to hide symbols and stay quiet. None of that was imagined. It was learned.
This is how escalation happens. The language is softened. The behavior is excused. The targets adapt. Leaders express surprise only after the violence arrives.
Borders Matter. Consequences Follow.
Multicultural slogans do not stop bullets. Open borders do not produce harmony. A nation that allows unchecked illegal entry invites instability and imports hatred it refuses to confront. Enforcement is not cruelty. Removal is not extremism. Bondi Beach is the cost of pretending otherwise.
Bondi Beach should have been a place of light. Families gathered to mark Hanukkah, a holiday about survival and faith. Instead, it became a killing ground. That did not happen by chance. Terrorists act when a society grants permission through indulgence and excuse. Australia gave that permission. Bondi Beach was the result.
Feature Image: Created in Canva Pro
