SYDNEY (VINnews — In a pointed interview one week after the deadly terrorist shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach that claimed 15 lives, including a 10-year-old girl and a Chabad rabbi, Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, sharply criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government for failing to address rising antisemitism.
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Gregory described Albanese’s apologies and condolences as “empty and too late,” accusing the administration of ignoring warning signs from the Jewish community amid a surge in Islamist-inspired violence following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel.
The Dec. 14 attack at Bondi Beach’s “Chanukah by the Sea” event targeted hundreds gathered for the Jewish holiday. Gunmen killed 15 people and injured over 40 in what authorities described as an antisemitic terrorist incident.
Among the victims were 10-year-old Matilda and Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a British-born Chabad emissary who helped organize the event.
Gregory, speaking with commentator Alan Skorski, highlighted a series of prior antisemitic incidents, including arson attacks on synagogues, vandalism of Jewish institutions and businesses, and the discovery of explosives targeting Jewish sites.
He referenced reports from Sky News Australia documenting radical Islamist terrorism in the country, arguing that successive governments had adopted policies of appeasement.
Gregory also cited pre-Oct. 7 incidents, such as the 2014 Lindt cafe siege by Iranian refugee Man Haron Monis, which killed two hostages, and a 2017 hostage-taking by Somali refugee Yacqub Khayre that resulted in one death.
Post-Oct. 7, the government granted thousands of visas to Palestinians from Gaza, a move Gregory said contributed to security concerns.
“For too long, the Albanese government ignored the warning signs and pleas from the Jewish community,” Gregory said.
He accused leftist leaders of falsely equating antisemitism with Islamophobia, noting a government agency created to combat both despite no recorded instances of anti-Muslim violence in Australia.
Some current and former parliamentarians have strongly condemned Islamist-inspired antisemitism, earning support from Jewish leaders, while Albanese has faced jeers at memorials for victims.