- Opinion
- 15 Dec 25
Troye Sivan, Rebel Wilson, Billy Bragg and more mourn victims of Bondi Beach shooting
President Catherine Connolly and Pope Leo XIV are also among those offering condolences to the victims.
Reactions have poured in from around the world after a deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia over the weekend.
Authorities have named the attack a "terrorist" incident and said it was "designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah."
The shooting killed at least 15 people and wounded 40 before a bystander tackled and disarmed one of the two shooters. One shooter, 50, was killed at the scene while the second, his 24-year-old son, was hospitalised with "critical" injuries according to local police.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said stricter gun laws would be discussed in a national cabinet meeting today following the attack.
Albanese was also among the first to react to the tragedy, telling Australians, "What was unleashed today is beyond comprehension."
"As prime minister, on behalf of all Australians, to the Jewish community: We stand with you, we embrace you and we reaffirm tonight that you have every right to be proud of who you are and what you believe," Albanese said.
"You have the right to worship and study and work and live in peace and safety. You should never have to endure the loss that you have suffered today. We will dedicate every resource required to make sure you are safe and protected."
Other public figures from Australia and around the world have taken to social media to react to the tragedy.
Pop singer Troye Sivan, who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Perth, said his "heart is broken" in an Instagram story.
"Thinking tonight of the victims and their families, the Bondi and wider Sydney communities, and for every Jewish person in this country," Sivan said.
"This is not who we are as Australians. Sending so much love to all."
Sydney-born actress and comedian Rebel Wilson also took to Instagram stories, describing the tragedy as "the most un-Australian thing to have happen."
"We shouldn't have gun violence in Australia, we shouldn't have antisemitism - it's not us!" Wilson said.
"Thinking of everyone affected by this devastating violence."
English singer and activist Billy Bragg posted an image of a menorah on Instagram, writing, "My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Sydney and all those who have been affected by this inexcusable act of violence."
View this post on Instagram
President Catherine Connolly offered "deepest sympathy to the Jewish community everywhere at this time, mindful of the beginning of this Hannukah period" in a statement yesterday.
"I offer these condolences on behalf of the people of Ireland to the people of Australia, especially all who have lost loved ones and those who have been injured," President Connolly said.
"I particularly join with all those Irish people living in Sydney who will be appalled by this horrific act of violence. Such violence is to be utterly condemned and has no place for all of us who are committed to peace in our world."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin issued a statement expressing how "shocked and appalled" he was by the attack.
"There can be no place for hatred or violence anywhere, in particular at a time of celebration for many as people gathered to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach," Martin said.
"At a lecture honouring the historian Dermot Keogh just two days ago, I noted that antisemitism has been one of the most consistent and pernicious prejudices throughout history, providing the foundation for murderous outrages in many eras and many places.
"This latest evil act in Sydney is a further manifestation of the murderous hate spawned by antisemitism."
Pope Leo XIV took to X to denounce the attack, writing, "Today I particularly wish to entrust to the Lord the victims of the terrorist massacre carried out yesterday in Sydney against the Jewish community."
"Enough with this antisemitic violence!" said Pope Leo, adding, "Let us eliminate hatred from our hearts."
Let us #PrayTogether for all those who suffer due to war and violence. Today I particularly wish to entrust to the Lord the victims of the terrorist massacre carried out yesterday in #Sydney against the Jewish community. Enough with this antisemitic violence! Let us eliminate…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) December 15, 2025
Jewish Voice for Peace, a US-based community organisation advocating for solidarity for Palestine, posted a multi-part statement on Instagram and X about what they described as "a terrifying incident of hate-fueled violence that no community should face."
"Violence, whether driven by antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia, or any other form of bigotry, must be stopped," Jewish Voice for Peace said.
"We honor the bravery of Ahmed al Ahmed, a bystander who risked his life to protect those under fire. The lesson, yet again, is all too clear: Our safety is bound up together. Today, on the first night of Hanukkah, and every other night, we recommit to fighting for the sanctity of all human life."
View this post on Instagram
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the shooting, saying it "reiterates its firm rejection of all forms of violence, terrorism and extremism, which contradict humanitarian values." Australia officially recognised the State of Palestine earlier this year.
