Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, December 14, 2025
GUNMEN attacked a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, today [yesterday], killing at least 12 people in an “evil, anti-semitic, terrorist attack.”
The shooting began at about 6.47pm local time at the Archer Park area of the beach, where hundreds had gathered for the “Chanukah by the Sea” event marking the start of the eight-day Jewish festival.
Police said the attackers, armed with what they described as “long guns,” opened fire on the crowd as the beach was packed with families, swimmers and tourists.
At least 29 people were wounded, including two police officers, New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
One gunman was shot dead by police at the scene, while a second was arrested and remained in a critical condition in hospital.
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Green Party leader Zack Polanski, Britain’s only Jewish political leader, said that he was “thinking of everyone in Australia and those around the world in the Jewish Community who know this fear and loss.”
“Our community is once again mourning,” he said in a statement on his way to a Chanukah event.
Your Party’s Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn were among those sending messages of solidarity with the Jewish community online, with Mr Corbyn saying: “In moments like these, we must remember our common humanity, reaffirm our opposition to hatred, and stand up for the rights of everyone to worship in freedom, safety and peace.”
Campaign group Jewish Voice for Liberation shared the Jewish Council of Australia’s message of “horror” at the shooting, adding: “Whatever the extreme level of violence suffered by civilians in Gaza, it is no excuse for the murder of uninvolved civilians thousands of miles away.”
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Britain’s Chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, addresses the crowd during a ‘Vigil for Israel’ opposite the entrance to Downing Street, the official residence of Britain’s Prime Minister, in London on October 9, 2023 [HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images]
The leader of the UK Green Party, Zack Polanski, has publicly accused the Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis of failing to represent British Jews, saying instead that the Rabbi “speaks in the interests of defending the Israeli government.” The comments come amid rising tensions over Israel’s genocide in Gaza and intensifying debate within British Jewish communities over what constitutes legitimate communal leadership.
Polanski made the remarks on The Rest Is Politics, hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. Though describing himself as “proudly Jewish but not religious,” he said he feels “less safe” in the UK because of what he sees as efforts to conflate anti-Semitism with anti‑Zionism.
“I am outraged that there are British communal organisations — in fact, I’ll go further — we have a Chief Rabbi who I think has overstepped the mark many times. He is not speaking for the British Jewish community,” said Polanski.
“He is certainly not speaking for me,” Polanski added. “I don’t think he’s speaking for the wider community.”
Continuing his comments about the Rabbi’s support for Israel, Polanski said: “He is clearly speaking in the interests of defending the Israeli government. As a personal view, he is totally entitled to do that, and I’m totally entitled to disagree with him. But for someone with the role of Chief Rabbi to politicise what is happening in Israel as a defence of the Jewish community in Britain, I think, is deeply damaging.”
Polanski’s remarks reflect growing unease within parts of the British Jewish community and wider civil society about the use of religious leadership to advance the political agenda of the Israeli state.
Rabbi Mirvis has in recent years repeatedly framed criticism of Israel including opposition to its Gaza genocide, as inseparable from threats to Jewish safety. He has publicly condemned UK government actions that critics interpret as pressure on Israel, intervened in domestic political debates over Israel’s assault on Gaza, and argued that anti‑Zionism often equates to anti-Semitism.
For instance, in September 2024 he decried the UK government’s decision to suspend some arms‑export licences to Israel as undermining a “close strategic ally” and feeding “falsehoods” that Israel had breached international law.
In 2025 he publicly rejected government plans to recognise a Palestinian state, calling the move a “profound betrayal” that would encourage Hamas and imperil Jewish safety.
He has also insisted that “anti‑Zionism is the new anti-Semitism,” arguing that Judaism and Zionism are inextricably linked, a stance that many British Jews contest.
Polanski is not alone in questioning whether institutions such as the office of the Chief Rabbi adequately represent the full range of Jewish opinion in Britain, particularly those critical of Israeli government policy. Organisations such as Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) long argued that established communal bodies fail to reflect the diversity of political perspectives within the Jewish population.
Polanski said that his own views on Israel have evolved after witnessing the genocide in Gaza, and that advocating for Palestinian rights has attracted increasing numbers of Jewish members to the Green Party.
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Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Vote Labour for Genocide.
Green party leader Zack Polanski (Green Party of England and Wales). Image: Bristol Green Party Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Responding to news that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has received a £9 million donation from a single donor, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said
“Reform hoovering up vast sums of private donations isn’t a sign of political strength, but a sign of a weakness in the foundations of our democracy. When a single party can be bankrolled by a handful of wealthy individuals, it drowns out the voices of ordinary people and tilts the entire system towards the interests of those elites.
“This is exactly why we need a cap on political donations. Democracy should never be for sale. Every party should compete on ideas, not on the size of their donor spreadsheet.
“While Reform pockets eye-watering cheques, Greens are building a movement powered and funded by people through thousands of new members.
“When we win elections, it will be because of the tens of thousands of people volunteered, not the people who donated tens of thousands. If we want a politics that serves the public, not billionaire backers, then capping donations is essential. Let’s end the influence of big money and put democracy back where it belongs: in the hands of voters.”
Nigel Farage reminds you that he’s the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, December 14, 2025
