During a vigil held on Sunday to honor the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced a chilly reception as attendees expressed their disapproval through boos.

The event drew around 10,000 mourners to Bondi Beach, united in remembrance of those lost in the tragedy. Among the attendees were Albanese, several Australian politicians, and members of the Jewish community. When David Ossip, the president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, acknowledged Albanese’s attendance, it prompted a wave of boos from the crowd.

Ossip addressed the gathering, stating, “This has to be the nadir of antisemitism in our country. This has to be the moment when light starts to eclipse the darkness.” His words underscored the gravity of the situation and the need for unity against hate.

In contrast, the crowd responded with applause when opposition leader Sussan Ley was mentioned. Ley has pledged that, under her leadership, a coalition government would reverse the Albanese administration’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.

Accompanied by his wife, Jodie Haydon, Albanese attended the memorial on December 21, 2025, in Sydney, reflecting the solemnity of the occasion amidst the backdrop of political tensions. (Izhar Khan/Getty Images)

The tense reaction comes after Jewish leaders and Israeli officials have lambasted Albanese’s government for ignoring warning signs of Australia’s rising antisemitism in the months before the attack on Bondi Beach.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted a letter he sent to Albanese earlier this year when the latter’s government announced it was recognizing a Palestinian state. He argued the move “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Albanese’s handling of antisemitism. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

“Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia. You did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing inside your country. You took no action. You let the disease spread and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today,” Netanyahu said the day of the attack.

The December 14 attack left 15 people dead and dozens more hospitalized. The shooters were a father-son duo, and the father was killed in the attack. The son, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, woke from a coma after recovering from severe injuries and faces charges of murder and terrorism.

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