A horrific terrorist attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach targeting Jewish Australians at a public Hannukah celebration has left at least 16 people dead and many others injured, some critically. This is the deadliest incident of gun violence in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre and the worst terrorist attack in Australian history. There is still a lot we do not know, including the shooters’ motives, how it was planned, if the attackers acted on their own accord or by the directives of a broader organisation or state sponsor.
But we do know this:
This attack has come amid a tide of rising antisemitism and a sharp uptick in attacks against Jewish people and targets, not only in Australia but globally. Anti-hate and Jewish interest groups have reported an exponential increase in harassment and intimidation against Jewish communities since the deadly 7 October 2023 attacks and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Law enforcement assessments have counted almost 50 major incidents against Jewish targets worldwide since. There have been multiple warnings that without a more robust response, smaller incidents would lead to major violence. The Bondi attack is precisely what was feared would happen.
Antisemitism is historical and perennial. It forms a part of almost all extremist narratives and conspiracies and has been commonly incited by violent and fascist leaders. What often starts as fringe and minority sentiment can expand quickly and lead to tragic effects that not only impact the Jewish community but transform societies. The Holocaust remains the most extreme manifestation of this hatred and it is an especially poignant detail that a Holocaust survivor is counted as a victim of the Bondi attack.
The attackers were a father-son duo; related perpetrators are a common dynamic in modern terrorism. Several previous high-profile terrorist incidents, including the Boston Marathon bombing, the Charlie Hebdo attack, and the San Bernardino shootings, were carried out by siblings or spouses. Parent-child attacks are less common, but not unheard of. Family members not only reinforce radical beliefs due to their closeness, proximity and levels of trust, but radicalisation accelerates as close family members live in a hothouse of extremism.
Mobilisation happens quicker and with greater operational secrecy and security, evading law enforcement’s ability to disrupt plots. Even though the surviving gunman in the Bondi attack was on law enforcement’s radar for connection to a Sydney-based Islamic State terrorist cell in 2019, there was no concerned bystander to intervene or report.
The Islamic State and violent jihadist ideology continue to motivate deadly violence. Early reports say that police found two Islamic State flags in the attackers’ car and footage shows one flag on the hood of the car.
Since Islamic State’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria, it has been tempting to look at this threat through the rear-view mirror. Terrorism and violent extremist threats in the West multiplied and grew more complicated and diffuse. Far-right terrorism and the mainstreaming of far-right rhetoric and ideology became the prominent cause for concern for terrorism analysts and security officials, including me. Jihadist violence seemed largely confined to the Middle East and Africa.
But Islamic State remains the deadliest terrorist movement in the world and continues to be a powerful and persistent motivating force, expanding global influence online through its propaganda and diffuse online networks. Islamic State consistently inspires attacks and plots in the West, even after the defeat of its so-called caliphate. Its influence is not only felt among those who are sympathetic to its ideology. It is also inspiring far-right extremist movements by their use of spectacular violence, sophisticated communications and online strategies; they have even borrowed its terminology and aesthetics.
More violence and extremism prevention work is clearly needed. This attack highlights a clear need to invest more in prevention of extremism and violence. Violence is part of the human condition. Even in the most cohesive societies and peaceful nations, disturbed and radicalised individuals live among us. But violence does not occur in a vacuum. This attack is a stain on Australia’s social cohesion, but it offers a critical opportunity to address the broader environment in which violence occurs.
Political and social leaders have come out strongly to condemn this attack, as they should and as is expected. While rhetoric condemning violence is important, prevention of violent extremism requires a deeper and broader investment.
The acceptance of violence as a political solution across Western democracies is a troubling development that must be urgently addressed. Growing polarisation and grievances have driven a loss of faith in democracy. Alienation and segregation from others, and demonisation of those who don’t share similar political views, has led 10% of people and more than a third of young people in Australia to say they support the use of political violence and intimidation for a cause they care about. In the United States, one-third of Americans polled say that violence might be necessary to get “the country back on track”.
This sentiment, if not checked, can be harnessed by all sorts of movements and used to motivate all kinds of violence, including the terrible tragedy at Bondi Beach.
