Risk that the terrorist act will be followed by more
Anti-Semitism in the world has increased sharply since Israel's response to the terrorist act that hit the country on October 7, 2023.
It was really only a matter of time before an act like the one at Bondi Beach in Australia would occur. The risk is obvious that it will be followed by more.
Quick version
Very little is yet known about the motive behind the mass shooting. But it is clear that it is aimed at the country’s Jewish population and Israel.
Ironically, it was a Syrian man who heroically stopped the carnage.
The perpetrators attacked people gathered to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. The duo said they were going to the beach to go fishing.
Instead, they began shooting indiscriminately into a large group of people gathered for the celebration.
Should have known earlier
The Australian police have labelled the shooting as a terrorist act.
The question is whether the two men, suspected of being Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, acted alone or if they had help from others.
It seems that the father had a license for the weapons used in the shooting, which could be an indication that the two acted alone. Something that would have made it much more difficult for the police to uncover the plans in advance and prevent the attack.
Still, perhaps the security services and the authorities should have known that something similar could happen.
In October last year, someone tried to burn down a Jewish restaurant at Bondi Beach. Six weeks later, a synagogue was firebombed.
Criticized and accused
Australien's special envoy to combat anti-Semitism warned last year of a rise in anti-Semitism at many universities and that it was "embedded in the culture".
In that light, the Labor-led Australian government has already been heavily criticized for not taking the threats more seriously.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone so far as to accuse Australia of enabling the attack by contributing to increased anti-Semitism through its recognition of Palestine as a state.
Ten years ago, when the Islamic State terrorist group, IS, established its caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq, a number of Islamist terrorist attacks occurred in Australia. Acts in which the perpetrators swore allegiance to IS or displayed IS flags.
The most high-profile act was a 50-year-old man who took people hostage in a Sydney cafe in 2014. When police stormed the premises, several of the hostages, including the perpetrator, were killed.
“Jews have had to pay”
This time it is unclear whether the two suspected of carrying out the attack belong to any group. The father is reported to have come to Australia from Pakistan just over 25 years ago while the son was born and raised in Australia. He was previously on the police radar for suspicion of being part of an IS cell but was removed.
The country's media company ABC reports that two IS flags were found in the perpetrators' car, but this has not been confirmed at the time of writing.
Without us already having all the facts on the table, it is still difficult not to see the attack as a manifestation of the increasing anti-Semitism in the world since 2023.
Then the terrorist Hamas carried out a bestial terrorist attack in southern Israel in which 1,200 Israelis were killed. Most of them civilians. Israel gained the world's sympathy.
But in the war that followed, over 70,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands injured. A large majority of them ordinary civilians. Many have called what was going on a genocide. Sympathy for Israel has turned into hatred.
Jews all over the world have had to pay the price for Israel's brutal warfare. In the US, the Anti-Defamation League reports that such high levels of anti-Semitism have never been seen before in the US. Similar reports come from other countries with large Muslim populations such as France and the UK. It involves both violence, threats and verbal harassment.
In Sweden, Jewish representatives have also flagged that more and more Swedish Jews are considering emigrating to Israel because they do not feel safe here.
Police surveillance will be strengthened
Many people seem to equate what the state of Israel is doing with Jews in general. This is despite the fact that there are many Jews both inside and outside Israel who have expressed strong criticism of Israel's warfare.
Due to previous terrorist attacks targeting Jews, security around the world is normally high around Jewish schools, synagogues and other institutions.
Therefore, there is reason to ask why the police did not have more extensive surveillance of the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. According to the eyewitness, it took too long before the police were on site in larger numbers.
The attack will serve as a warning signal to police around the world to strengthen their surveillance of Jewish events. The mass shooting with at least 15 deaths occurred in Australia, but it could just as easily have occurred anywhere in the world.
The danger is that it will inspire other extremists to carry out similar attacks in other places.
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