Australia will hold a national day of mourning on January 22 for the 15 killed in the Bondi Beach attack, with flags at half-mast and a royal commission inquiry.
SYDNEY: Australia will hold a national day of mourning on January 22 for the 15 people killed in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the day of remembrance, which will have the theme “light will win”.
Flags will fly at half-mast across the country for the gathering of unity and remembrance.
The event was decided in consultation with Jewish community leaders after the December 14 attack.
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at the famous beach.
The attack was the nation’s worst mass shooting in 30 years and has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism.
It has also prompted anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm and promises to stiffen gun laws.
The Chabad of Bondi, which organised the December 14 festival, welcomed the day of mourning.
“This gathering creates space to honour those who were lost, acknowledge those who were injured, and stand with their families and loved ones,” it said.
Albanese last week bowed to public pressure to hold a high-powered commission inquiry into the attack.
A federal royal commission will probe intelligence failures and the prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.
Victims’ families penned an open letter in December urging Albanese to hold a royal commission.
“We demand answers and solutions,” they wrote.
The letter asked why clear warning signs were ignored and how antisemitic hatred was allowed to grow.
Gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault.
An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in prison charged with terrorism and 15 murders.
Police and intelligence agencies face questions about whether they could have acted earlier.
Naveed Akram was flagged by Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019 but later deemed no imminent threat.
Australia is cracking down on gun ownership and hate speech in the wake of the attack.
The government announced a sweeping gun buyback scheme in December to “get guns off our streets”.
It is the largest gun buyback since 1996, when laws were tightened after the Port Arthur massacre.
