Australia Mourns Bondi Attack Victims, Sets National Day of Remembrance

The federal parliament on Monday morning observed a minute of silence as a motion was tabled to honour the 15 victims of the attack that targeted an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at the iconic beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs on December 14.

Addressing the parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Monday should have been just "another day" for the victims, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Instead, our parliament comes together in sorrow to offer our nation's condolences to the people who knew and loved them best," he said. Josh Burns, one of the most prominent Jewish members of Albanese's Labor Party government, said that Australia's response to the attack would define the country.

"We must not dehumanise each other, because dehumanisation is what leads to exactly what happened in Bondi," he said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday declared that a national day of mourning will be held on January 22 for the victims of the terror attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Flags will be flown at half mast in all government buildings around Australia on January 22 to honour the victims of the attack that targeted an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at the iconic Bondi Beach on December 14, Albanese said at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra.

This will have a theme of 'light will win,' a gathering of unity and remembrance, Albanese said.

The prime minister had announced that the federal parliament would be recalled from its summer break two weeks early on January 19 to pass legislation for stronger hate speech and gun ownership laws in response to the attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The terrorists at Bondi Beach had hatred in their minds but guns in their hands. This law will deal with both, and we need to deal with both," Albanese said.

Fifteen people were fatally shot in the attack by alleged gunmen Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid, who was shot dead by police.

Authorities have said that the attack was inspired by Islamic State ideology and have charged Naveed Akram with 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.

- IANS