The CLARITy Coalition, a global alliance dedicated to combating hatred and promoting truth in media, unequivocally condemns the barbaric terrorist attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration and names the violence for what it is: as an act of Islamist antisemitic terror.
The CLARITy Coalition calls on governments to dismantle Islamic terror networks and prosecute and ban calls for incitement to violence. It also calls on media outlets to stop obscuring the ideological motivation for attacks like this one and accurately report on hate‑driven violence by Muslim extremists. State‑sponsored antisemitism must be confronted and eradicated. We stand with the victims and demand justice.
This heinous assault, which has claimed at least 12 lives and injured 29 others, including two police officers, targeted about 2,000 participants gathered for “Chanukah by the Sea,” a joyous Festival of Lights celebration chosen precisely because it was a Jewish event. Witnesses reported that two men stood on a small footbridge and fired into the crowd, while one screamed “Allahu Akbar,” a declaration that identifies ideological motivation.
Reports note that one gunman was killed, another injured and detained, and police are probing a possible third shooter. The injured gunman was identified as Naveed Akram, 24, from Bonnyrigg, Australia. Police said they found improvised explosive devices in a vehicle near the scene, underscoring the organized and premeditated nature of the terror. A courageous bystander disarmed one attacker, saving countless lives.
Australian leaders, including New South Wales Premier Chris Minns and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, rightly declared the attack a terrorist incident and a targeted assault on the Jewish community. Their condemnation highlights the need for clarity when confronting antisemitic violence, rather than the all-too-common media practice of framing such violence as “mass shootings” or “lone wolf attacks,” separate from their Islamist ideological terror roots.
In warnings that appear tragically prescient, Israeli intelligence reportedly warned Australian authorities that Tehran was building infrastructure and smuggling weapons to attack Jewish targets abroad.
The Bondi Beach massacre is the deadliest episode in a rising tide of antisemitic violence since Oct. 7, 2023, and part of a global pattern, not an isolated event. Australia has endured a disturbing string of attacks, including graffiti, vandalism, and arson targeting Jewish schools, synagogues, and businesses, that culminated in the Bondi tragedy.
Australian intelligence has linked previous previous antisemitic attacks, including arson at Curly Lewis Brewing Company and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, to Iran. Elsewhere in the world, the wave of violence included the Yom Kippur car‑ramming and stabbing at Manchester’s Heaton Park Synagogue on Oct. 2, 2025, which resulted in the death and injury of Jewish worshippers.
Jews are being targeted globally for who they are, and we demand moral clarity, accountability, and decisive action from governments, institutions, and the media. The CLARITY Coalition will continue to expose, confront, and challenge the networks and ideologies that enable this violence.