Politicians Condemn “Political Violence” After Palestine & Israel Groups Clash on Bondi Beach

A pro-Palestine demonstration on Bondi Beach was met with counter-protesters on Sunday morning, with footage showing attendees telling gathered families to “go back to Lakemba”.

Jews Against the Occupation ’48, organised the peaceful Bondi event in solidarity with the Sumud Flotilla, which set sail to break the siege in Gaza over over the weekend. Coinciding with Fathers’ Day, the gathering was also held in honour of the “countless children who lost their fathers, and the countless fathers who lost their children in Gaza”.

The family-friendly event was advertised to include the launching of origami boats into the ocean, with a small paddle-out from local-paddle boarders, and the chanting of sea shanties, all supported by NSW Police.

 

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Opposition to the event arose almost immediately, with the Australian Jewish Association confirming plans to “confront” attendees.

“The Jewish community is not going to sit by and allow a bunch of trouble makers to bring their hate to Bondi Beach,” read a post on X. “If they come to Bondi looking for trouble, the Jewish community won’t be hiding away.”

They amplified a counter-event held by StandWithUs Australia, a non-partisan education organisation dedicated to supporting Israel and combating antisemitism.

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) is deeply concerned about the provocative anti-Israel protest planned for Bondi Beach this Father’s Day.

Staging such a protest in the heart of Sydney’s Jewish community is an unnecessary provocation. Bondi is home to many synagogues,…

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) September 5, 2025

Videos of the event show protesters armed with Israeli and Australian flags calling pro-Palestine activists “terrorists” and telling them to “go back to Lakemba”.

“This event was a collaboration between Jews Against the Occupation ’48, and another group, which is called Eastern Suburbs for Palestine,” organiser Judith Treanor told CityHub. “Members of Jews Against the Occupation, they live in the Eastern Suburbs, in this area as well.”

Treanor said pro-Palestine attendees were forced to travel to and from the beach in groups for their own safety, and witnessed aggressive and intimidating behaviour from some of the hundreds of pro-Israel protesters.

“Let’s face it, a lot of it actually is antisemitic, because they knew that this event had been initiated by Jewish women,” Treanor said. “They don’t actually mention in any of their warnings last week, you know, in their social media.

“To be shouting things like “get off our beach”, “send them home”- not only it’s horrific to anybody, particularly for Palestinian people who are going through such horrific trauma… but also to be shouting to other Jewish people who are from the same area, you know, what on earth is going on? How is that allowed?”

“Designed to divide”, says protest organiser

Proceedings were largely peaceful, though the Sydney Morning Herald reported a brief physical altercation between some members of the two groups, which is under investigation from the NSW Police.

Executive director of StandWithUs Australia, Michael Gencher, said the event was deliberately provocative and targeted the Jewish community.

“Out of more than 100 beaches in Sydney, Bondi – the heart of the Jewish community – was chosen deliberately to intimidate and harass families where they live, pray, and work,” he said. “This was not a neutral gathering. It was designed to confront, unsettle, and divide.

“We need more than words of sympathy. We need leadership that enforces the rules, prevents deliberate provocations in the heart of our communities, and protects all Australians from harassment. Bondi was a warning. If ignored, the pressure will only build.”

The NSW government has introduced a slew of new laws over the last year designed to tackle antisemitism, including the heavily criticised ban on protests outside of places of worship, the catalyst of which was a Jewish-led protest against an Israel Institute of Technology event held in the Great Synagogue last December.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke also announced $106.2 million towards counterterrorism following the alleged antisemitic attack January on a house previously owned by Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Premier Chris Minns condemned the scenes on Monday, telling reporters he had “zero tolerance” for political violence.

“Any rhetoric like that is the opposite of what we need in Australia,” he said.

“Anyone that brings political violence to Australia, to Australian streets, is reprehensible.

“In fact a lot of people come to Australia precisely because we don’t have political violence in our country and we have to have zero tolerance in relation to it.”There is no place for anybody assaulting another person because of their political views.

“Yes, you have a right to protest but you don’t have a right to infringe on another person’s liberty, destroy their day, or worst-case scenario, to assault another person.

“We have to stand against it, that’s not the kind of country we want to live it, we see it in other places around the world, it’s not for Sydney, it’s not for Australia.”

Independent member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, said she was “saddened” by the events, and told ABC Radio National she was “wished” the pro-Palestinian event was held somewhere other than Bondi.

“I know that people feel very strongly and deeply and sincerely about what’s happening overseas, but I think unfortunately, these sorts of protests, counter protests, can end up where people feel further apart, rather than when recognising where the common ground is,” she said.

“There are lots of beaches around around that they could have held that protest in… I think that some of the things that were shouted at each other undermines our social cohesion, you know, brings conflict to the beach, which we really don’t need.”