Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has attacked on Anthony Albanese, accusing his government of abandoning the Jewish community and calling for a royal commission into antisemitism.
In an emotional address at Bondi Beach on Wednesday, Frydenberg, who is Jewish, called for a ban on “hate preachers” and an end to what he described as “daily” pro-Palestinian rallies, saying they had become “incubators of hate”.
In a social media post after Sunday’s attack, the Palestine Action Group — which organises pro-Palestinian rallies in Sydney — said it was horrified by the incident and it condemned antisemitism.
Sixteen people were killed on Sunday evening in an attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, including one of the two alleged gunmen.
One of the alleged shooters, Naveed Akram, who was born in Australia, has regained consciousness after being in a coma since the weekend attack.
The second alleged shooter, his father Sajid Akram, was an Indian citizen. He was shot dead by police.
Frydenberg laid a bouquet at the memorial and wiped away tears as he was comforted by other mourners.
The intensity of his emotions was evident throughout his 23-minute speech, which was met with enthusiastic applause.
“We as a Jewish community have been abandoned and left alone by our governments,” he said.
“Our governments have failed every Australian when it comes to fighting hate and antisemitism. Our prime minister, our government, has allowed Australia to be radicalised on his watch.
“It’s time for him to accept personal responsibility for the death of 15 innocent people, including a 10-year-old child.”
He said the terrorist attack was the “greatest stain on this nation”.
“I’m here to mourn, but I am also here to warn,” he said.
“Unless our governments, federal and state, take urgent, unprecedented and strong action, as night follows day, we will be back grieving the loss of innocent life in another terrorist attack in our country.”
He urged the authorities to take decisive action against “hate preachers” after reports emerged connecting one of the suspected shooters to a radical cleric.
On Wednesday, former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg paid his respects at a temporary memorial set up at Bondi Beach.
“The individual responsible for this act was associated with a hate-inducing center in Bankstown. How can such a place be permitted to operate for even a single day more? I firmly reject this, and I say it should end now,” he declared.
Hours after Sunday’s attack, Albanese defended his government’s record on combating antisemitism, citing the implementation of some recommendations made by antisemitism special envoy Jillian Segal in a report published in July.
Among the measures were the banning of Nazi symbols, the strengthening of hate speech laws and the outlawing of doxing after the identities of Jewish artists were published in an online chat, leading to alleged death threats.
These include calls for all levels of government to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which critics say conflates antisemitism with criticism of Israel.
Other recommendations yet to be implemented include the withdrawal of funding for universities and cultural institutions that fail to effectively address antisemitism and updating visa processes to screen for antisemitic views or affiliations.
On Tuesday, Albanese said the government was continuing to work through issues raised in the report, and confirmed additional funding for security for Jewish community sites would be extended.
“We’ll continue to work with the community to do what we can to stamp [it] out. We want to eradicate antisemitism — that is the objective here,” he told ABC radio.
Chalmers has ‘lot of respect’ for predecessor
In response to Frydenberg’s address, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he had a “lot of respect” for his predecessor, but the government had already taken “significant steps” to combat antisemitism.
“I don’t doubt the intensity or the sincerity of his views, and we take them seriously. And he, like a lot of Australians, is mourning and is grieving, and we will take suggestions from him,” he said.
“The government takes the evil of antisemitism seriously, and we’ve taken some significant steps already.
“But we’ve all acknowledged that more steps need to be taken and more steps will be taken.”
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