The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albaneseannounced that his country would mark a national day of reflection a week after the mass shooting in Bondi Beach. The initiative came after the president called for rejecting “hatred and violence.”
The terrorist attack, described as the worst in the country in almost 30 years, was carried out by Sajid Akram and his son Naveedaccused of murdering 16 people during the Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney Beach.
Albanese asked Australians to light candles at 6:47 p.m. (local time) on Sunday, December 21st, just a week after the attack, as a sign of unity and collective remembrance: “It’s a time to pause, Reflect and affirm that hate and violence will never define who we are as an Australian,” he said during a press appearance.
The president also reiterated his commitment to major reform of gun laws after it was revealed that Sajid Akram was licensed to own six rifles.
“There’s something wrong with the licensing laws if this guy is allowed to have six high-powered rifles,” he warned. In this spirit, he endorsed the massive gun buyback plan to remove “recently banned and illegal firearms” from the market.
The Bondi community also paid tribute to the victims this Friday morning with an impromptu tribute on the beach: hundreds of people jumped into the sea, forming circles of swimmers and surfers who paddled and splashed water while chanting in honor of the victims.
Jason Carr, a 53-year-old security consultant, told the AFP: “They killed innocent victims and today I swim there and am part of my community again to bring back the light. We continue to bury bodies. But I felt like it was important. “I won’t let someone so evil, someone so dark, stop me from doing what I do and what I enjoy.”
Albanian reiterated its commitment to eliminating the “Evil of anti-Semitism in our society“.”It is clear that we must do more to combat this evil scourge“He told the media. Measures announced by the Prime Minister include new powers to prosecute extremist preachers and the ability to refuse or cancel visas for those who spread messages of hate and division.
Sydney remains on high alert almost a week after the Australian beach shooting. On Thursday evening, armed police intercepted two suspicious vehicles containing several men after receiving reports the possible planning of an “act of violence”.
However, the New South Wales State Police clarified in a statement that it “has not identified any connection with the current police investigation into the Bondi terror attack.”
The main suspect in the attack, Sajid Akram, 50, died in a confrontation with police. His 24-year-old son Naveed was arrested after the attack. He is accused of 15 counts of murder, one count of terrorism and dozens of other serious allegations.
Australian authorities believe both were inspired by the Islamic State and are sticking to the hypothesis that they may have met with Islamic extremists during a recent trip to the Philippines a few weeks before the shooting. Research into these possible connections is ongoing.
(With AFP information)
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