EPAThe Australian state where the Bondi shooting occurred plans to ban the phrase “globalize the intifada” as part of a crackdown on “hateful” slogans.
New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns also called for a Royal Commission into the Bondi attack, which marked the deadliest shooting in Australia in almost 30 years.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured last Sunday when two gunmen, allegedly motivated by the “ideology of the Islamic State,” opened fire on a Jewish festival on the country’s most iconic beach.
Australia’s state and federal governments have announced a series of measures to counter extremism since the attack.
Minns plans to convene the state legislature next week to pass tighter restrictions on hate speech and guns. Earlier this week, he also suggested he would tighten protest laws to reduce mass demonstrations and encourage “a summer of calm.”
The prime minister confirmed that he would seek to classify the cry “globalize the intifada” as hate speech.
Two pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly shouting intifada-related slogans at a demonstration in central London.
The term intifada became popular during the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1987.
Some have described the term as a call for violence against the Jewish people. Others have said it is a call for peaceful resistance to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and actions in Gaza.
Earlier this week, Minns, along with NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, attended the funeral of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi shooting. He read a poem dedicated to the young woman present at the event.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new buyback plan for surplus, recently banned and illegal firearms. Hundreds of thousands of weapons will be collected and destroyed, the government predicts.
Around 1,000 lifeguards paid tribute on Saturday, lining up arm in arm facing the ocean on the shores of Bondi Beach. Surf rescue teams on other Australian beaches were photographed carrying out a similar commemorative event.
Throughout the week, Bondi surf volunteers have been commemorated as some of the heroes of the shooting. Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed running from a neighboring beach during the attack with a red bag of medical supplies.
Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out onto Bondi Beach yesterday to create a giant circle to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.
On Sunday, Australia will mark a national day of reflection themed “light over darkness”, precisely a week after the attack began with a minute’s silence at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT).
Flags will fly at half-mast and Australians are asked to light a candle in their windows to honor the victims.
“Sixty seconds away from the noise of daily life, dedicated to 15 Australians who should be with us today,” Prime Minister Albanese told reporters on Saturday.
“It will be a moment of pause to reflect and affirm that hate and violence will never define us as Australians.”
The Bondi attack was the worst mass shooting in Australia since Port Arthur in 1996, which killed 35 people and prompted then-Prime Minister John Howard to introduce strict gun control measures.
