Bondi shooting: Statement from multicultural members of the Australian Labor Party
Multicultural Labor members are devastated to see this attack on Australia’s Jewish community. Australia is a multicultural nation and this extremist violence is a direct attack on what makes Australia the country that it is. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and the wider community whose sense of safety and joy was shattered in a place meant for celebration and peace.
We are disappointed to see some people weaponise this terrible act of violence for political ends. At moments like this, it is vital we ask the hard questions of what we must do as a society to prevent such a thing from happening again. What we need now is reflection and a sense of our collective responsibility, not blame, fear and division.
We acknowledge the bravery of so many Australians who rushed to help others and save lives at their own peril. The heroic act of a Muslim Australian, Ahmed al Ahmed, in disarming one of the shooters and saving many lives, shows this was not about religion but about hate. We must work actively to reduce hatred in all its forms to create the kind of society we want for our children.
We call on all Australians to stand together to resist hatred in all its forms. Courage, compassion and humanity know no religion, race or background. In times of tragedy, humanity must guide us forward.
Signed
Berhan Ahmed
Wesa Chau
Kurt Cheng
Mita Chowdhury
Rizwan Chowdhury
Steph Cunio
Nicole D'Souza
Aman Gaur
Tina Hosseini
Wallace Huang
Hafiz Jan
Yogesh Khattar
Tanna Klavansky
Alexander Law
Melba Marginson
Prabir Maitra
Hameed Mohammed
Natalia Muszkat
Janaline Oh
Htun Htun Oo
Hedayat Osyan
Nishadh Rego
Syed Samnan
Edu Setiawan
Rajan Sharma
Kyushaal Vyas
Geoffrey Zhen
Iranian Womens Association
NSW Diversity Fellowship
Victorian Multicultural Labor Network
WA Multicultural Labor Organisation