Bondi Beach Tragedy Becomes Call for ‘Mass Deportations’ for the Australian Far-Right
Australian neo-Nazis have been quick to use the Bondi shooting to push Islamophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric
TLDR
On Dec. 14, 2025, a mass shooting took place at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
In reaction, voices on the Australian far-right reframed the attack to forward their own talking points on anti-immigration.
As in previous news cycles, Australian neo-Nazis continue to be active in trying to shape public opinion about the Bondi shooting as well as other events in the country.
Background
On the evening of Dec. 14, 2025, two gunmen opened fire on a community event celebrating the start of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney.1 The mass shooting, which left 15 dead and many others injured, is among the worst mass shootings in Australian history. According to early reports, the suspected father–son team allegedly behind the shooting may have been motivated by radical Islamic ideology or inspired by the Islamic State.2 3
Notably, the tragedy at Bondi comes amid concerns about the rise of antisemitism in Australia,4 a concern highlighted in a press conference about the shooting on Dec. 15, 2025, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. In the statement, Burke praised bystander Ahmed el Ahmed for tackling one of the shooters and wrestling his gun away, thus saving lives (Ahmed was later shot but one of the gunmen and is in recovery as of print).5 He also indicated that one of the shooters (the son) was an Australian-born citizen.
Regardless, Australian neo-Nazis have continued to frame the attack as alleged evidence for their own Islamophobic and anti-immigration talking points.
Far-Right Responses to the Bondi Mass Shooting
Australian Neo-Nazis
On Dec. 15, 2025, Thomas Sewell, the leader of the Nationalist Socialist Network in Australia, made a statement on Telegram:
“[T]he Terrorist attack in Bondi, Sydney last night is the natural consequence of multiculturalism. . . . . We have been calling for mass deportations for years, and I have personally been protesting against these hostile groups being allowed to exist in our country for over a decade. . . . Hail White Australia.”
Other far-right Telegram channels, both in Australia and abroad, shared Sewell’s statement, including the channel for American neo-Nazi and Blood Tribe founder Christopher Alan Pohlhaus,6 Irish neo-Nazi Justin Barrett, and Australian neo-Nazi Stephen Wells.
On their respective Telegram channels, both Sewell and Tim Lutze, an Australian neo-Nazi whose boxing gym has been a training ground for neo-Nazis in Melbourne,7 also shared a two-minute video that appears to show footage of the 2005 Cronulla riots in Sydney, a series of race riots between white Australians and Australians of Middle Eastern descent.8
Though neither Sewell nor Lutze shared any additional commentary, the video itself depicts a building on fire, white Australians chasing others with darker skin, chanting racially charged slogans, and clashing with police.
Far-Right News Outlets
On Telegram, Sewell and other Australian users shared news articles from The Noticer, an Australian far-right news outlet. From Dec. 14, 2025, through Dec. 17, 2025, the Noticer articles shared most often that mentioned the Bondi shooting were titled “Aussies demand end to mass immigration after Bondi terrorist attack: ‘Remigration now’”9 and another titled “White Australia leader warns Bondi terror attack is ‘natural consequence of multiculturalism,’” covering Sewell’s statement.10
On the “About Us” page of The Noticer’s official website, the organization claims to have “no wealthy backers or links to political parties.” Elsewhere, the site includes the tagline, “We notice what other news sites don’t.”
Open Measures has previously examined The Noticer’s influence on political conversation in Australia, namely around the Jan. 2025 arrests of several Australian neo-Nazis, including Sewell.
March for Australia
Additionally, the organizers behind the Aug. 2025 anti-immigration March for Australia – who have expressed their support for white nationalist opinions in the past, as evidenced by an investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)11 – have used the tragedy at Bondi to energize their base for another March for Australia event to take place on Australia Day (Jan. 26, 2026).
On Dec. 16, 2025, the organization’s Telegram account sent the message below to its followers:
“The Bondi shooting that happened on the 14th of December is a direct impact of the multicultural society that has been pushed onto Australians.”
Why We’re Tracking
The Australian far-right has had an active year in 2025, organizing protests, retreats, and provocations around the country. Now, its leaders have taken the devastating tragedy at Bondi Beach and weaponized it to demonize immigrant communities without expressing concern or remorse for the Jewish community the shooting impacted.
Given the upcoming Jan. 2026 March for Australia, which will begin its own press cycle, their narratives are likely to spread throughout 2026. Interestingly, none of the Australian white nationalist groups Open Measures monitors made statements about the attack. Instead, all statements came from far-right personalities using their personal platforms.
In the interest of slowing the spread of far-right violence and extremism in Australia, Open Measures will continue to report on the activity of these groups and individuals as they develop.
Identify disinformation and extremism with the Open Measures platform.
Organizations use Open Measures’ tooling every day to track trends related to networks of influence, coordinated harassment campaigns, and state-backed info ops.
Rubinsztein-Dunlop, S., Workman, M., & Caisley, O. (2025, Dec. 15). Bondi gunman was follower of notorious antisemitic Sydney cleric. ABC News. Here.
Chen, C. (2025, Dec. 16). Bondi gunmen were inspired by Islamic State, had travelled to the Philippines, Australia police say. Reuters. Here.
Lidman, M. (2025, Dec. 14). Attack on hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach follows rising antisemitism in Australia. PBS. Here.
The George Washington University. (n.d.). Blood tribe: Program on extremism. Program on Extremism. Here.
Estcourt, D. (2023, Aug. 1). Inside the Melbourne Boxing Gym with a neo-nazi underbelly. The Age. Here.
Aussies demand end to immigration after Bondi Terror Attack. The Noticer. (2025, Dec. 16).
White Australia leader responds to Bondi Terror Attack. The Noticer. (2025, Dec. 16).