Tuesday 20th of January 2026
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our hearts bleed....

 

The niece of Bondi victim Boris Tetleroyd has labelled Anthony Albanese a “coward” after the prime minister again rejected calls for a federal royal commission into Australia’s worst domestic terror attack.

The prime minister has claimed such a public inquiry would needlessly promote hate speech.

Jenny Roytur, whose cousin Yaakov was also shot in the attack, said the Jewish community deserved to know why antisemitism had escalated so quickly and why authorities had ignored warnings. Her family was signatory to an open letter from 17 families demanding answers and accountability from the government, alongside a Commonwealth royal commission.

 

‘He’s a coward’: Niece of Bondi victim lashes PM over royal commission
By Nick Newling, Angus Thomson, Brittany Busch and Rob Harris

 

Albanese, who has faced fierce personal criticism from the Jewish community and his political opponents for his response to the attack which left 15 people dead on December 14, again ruled out holding a public inquiry into antisemitism in a press conference on Monday, after releasing the terms of reference for a review into law enforcement and intelligence agencies by former diplomat Dennis Richardson.

 

He said his approach would be swifter and safer than the alternatives being presented.

Roytur said Albanese was ignoring the wishes of the victim’s families.

“He’s a coward with his own ideological viewpoints that he has carried through his whole time in parliament, and this is just proving it,” she said. “We were hunted like animals by extremists, and we now know that the radicals and extremists are spreading like cancer, and it has to be cut, and the truth has to come out, and they must do a Commonwealth royal commission.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned that a royal commission would provide a public platform for “some of the worst statements and worst voices”, and risked Jewish Australians reliving horrific examples of antisemitism during the past two years.

Burke said the government needed “the sort of inquiry that keeps Australians safe and that does not provide a platform for the worst voices; the Richardson inquiry does exactly that”.

Sabina Kleitman, the daughter of murdered Alex Kleytman, said in a statement that many Australians were united in wanting to know why the horrific attacks took place and what circumstances and decisions led to it.

“Our government could not protect the 15 innocent souls who were taken from us and those that were injured,” she said. “They must now do everything in their power to protect Australians, and for now, this means initiating the royal inquiry. It’s their duty to all Australians to provide safety and security to all.”

Sheina Gutnick, one of the signatories to the open letter and the daughter of Reuven Morrison, who was shot and killed throwing bricks at one of the Bondi shooters, said in an interview before the prime minister’s press conference that Albanese and the federal government were “absolutely” responsible for the attack.

 

“Recognising … Palestine as an official state has been a massive gasoline to the fire whilst Hamas is in power. And I think the biggest proof is a thank-you letter from Hamas to the Albanese government for the recognition of the state,” Gutnick said.

“We can have whatever views that we need to have as individuals on the current conflict of the Middle East,” she said. “But if the current government policies are adding fuel to the fire, they need to be held responsible.”

Asked directly on Monday about the plea from families, Albanese said: “My heart breaks for the families of the victims of the Bondi terrorist atrocity, and my heart … goes out to them at what is an incredibly traumatic time.”

He has repeatedly argued a federal royal commission would be too slow, similar commissions having taken years to hand down findings. While NSW Labor MPs Mike Freelander and Ed Husic have supported calls for a royal commission, several other caucus members, speaking on the condition of anonymity, are worried the PM has been too stubborn on the issue and has given in to the public service.

 

“We know agencies and the public service hate any kind of accountability and they are telling him not to call a royal commission,” said one MP. “I think he’s probably been hoodwinked by them in that sense.”

After a six-month delay, the government adopted several of the recommendations made by antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal, announced new hate speech laws to be introduced early next year, a review of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and changes to gun laws including a national buyback program.

A state-based royal commission has been established by NSW Premier Chris Minns, which will be able to work with federal agencies. But the Jewish community, legal experts and the federal opposition continue to step up demands for a Commonwealth royal commission capable of compelling the federal government and its agencies to testify.

The attack occurred on the first night of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, and families who gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea event near Archer Park were the target. Of the 15 victims, 13 were Jewish. Among those who have demanded a Commonwealth royal commission are former High Court chief justice Robert French, former intelligence chief Nick Warner, 135 prominent barristers, Jewish community organisations and the Coalition.

 

The Hindu Council of Australia on Monday joined the calls for a royal commission into antisemitism, saying it should investigate if individuals or groups contributed to the hate leading to the attack. The council is itself being investigated by the Australian Human Rights Council over complaints of Islamophobia.

Former home affairs boss Mike Pezzullo said only a royal commission would be able to look comprehensively at the issue and critically access the actions or inaction of the government itself.

“For instance, if it is now thought appropriate in the wake of this heinous attack to move to list and sanction hate organisations, as is being proposed, why was this measure not considered before the attack? Or was it considered, and rejected?” he said.

“A royal commission could be properly structured so as to get to the bottom of the questions, and in a sequenced fashion, such that findings and recommendations could be brought down on matters requiring urgent attention, while other packages of work could proceed at different paces.”

 

Pezzullo rejected Albanese’s claim that it was a binary choice between a retired judge or a former public official, saying it would be best dealt with by having both.

“That was the model employed by Mr [Paul] Keating when he established the royal commission into ASIS in March 1994,” he said. “The commission itself would have control of proceedings, as a judge does in a trial. Submissions do not have to be accepted, and witnesses do not have to be called.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the government’s claim a royal commission would platform antisemitism was “not protective, it is patronising”.

The Coalition has proposed its own wide-ranging terms of reference for a royal commission, which were criticised by Albanese as being far too broad and potentially requiring a years-long inquiry. Ley said she was willing to work with the government to discuss alternative terms.

“The families of victims want this Commonwealth royal commission. The Jewish community wants it. Eminent Australians want it. And I suspect millions of ordinary Australians want it too,” Ley said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/they-need-to-be-held-responsible-daughter-of-slain-bondi-hero-demands-royal-commission-20251229-p5nqgn.html

 

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WE BELIEVE THAT ALBO AND HIS GOVERNMENT ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING AND SHOULD WEATHER THE STORM OF ANGER FROM PEOPLE. BUT WHATEVER....

A ROYAL COMMISSION WOULD DRAG ON AND ON WITH LAMENTS AND DISTRACTION RE-ANTI-SEMITISM....

THE POINTS HERE ARE NOT ABOUT "HATE SPEECH" OR "IMMIGRATION", BUT ABOUT "GENOCIDE", "INTELLIGENCE LAPSE" AND "SECURITY"... 

WE WON'T GO FURTHER INTO THESE TOPICS HERE, THOUGH WE HAVE REASONABLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE "LOADING" [WEIGHT] THESE THREE ITEMS HAVE HAD ON THE TERRORIST EVENT.

THE PICTURE OF THE BONDI PAVILLION IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE TOON AT TOP WAS TAKEN BY GUS A FEW DAYS EARLIER BEFORE THE ATTACK... A BEAUTIFUL DAY, LOTS OF PEOPLE AND A DISTURBING THOUGHT WENT THROUGH HIS MIND... ALL WE NEEDED IS SOMEONE WITH A BOMB OR A GUN... IT WAS CHILLING...

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

OUR HEARTS BLEED FOR ALL THE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY THIS TRAGIC ACT OF TERRORISM AT BONDI.
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA DESERVE AS MUCH PEACE AS ALL THE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.

AND WE MEAN IT.

no clue....

There is no evidence the two men alleged to have carried out the Bondi terror attack were operating as part of a broader terrorist cell, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) boss has said.

In providing an update on the AFP's counter-terrorism operation launched in wake of the December 14 tragedy, Commissioner Krissy Barrett said Naveed Akram, 24 and his father Sajid — who was shot dead by police at the scene — were alleged to have operated alone.

She said there was no evidence the pair were directed by others to carry out the antisemitic attack, which left 15 people dead. 

"Given impending court processes and other security matters, I can't provide all the details that we have," Commissioner Barrett told media. 

"But I want to provide some information that goes to broader questions and concerns."

Commissioner Barrett also confirmed the pair had spent almost a month in the Philippines in November, but the AFP's "initial assessment" was that they did not undertake any training or "logistical preparation" for the attack there.

"However, I want to be clear, I am not suggesting that they were there for tourism," she said. 

When asked if there was any evidence that the pair were supported in their attack in Australia, Commissioner Barrett declined to answer, saying she did not want to jeopardise the investigation or the ongoing prosecution of Akram. 

He has been charged with 59 offences over the shooting, including 15 counts of murder. 

"This is one of, if not the most important investigation that the AFP and our partners will ever, ever do," Commissioner Barrett said.

"We have got a grieving community and we have got a community that is looking for answers, and that is my focus."

Investigation into 'hate preachers'

Commissioner Barrett said the AFP had also been investigating "hate preachers" to potentially pursue prosecutions against them, including under new hate speech reforms announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier this month. 

She said her agency has been going through the sermons of such figures "line-by-line". 

"We've been focused on these hate preachers and their sermons for a long time, over the last two years. This is not something that has started in the last few weeks.

"We have sought legal advice and expert advice. At this point in time, we don't have any active prosecutions underway. 

"That's not to say that we don't have ongoing investigations. And of course, with the new legislation that we will have available to us, that will be very helpful in terms of putting matters before the court."

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke added there were "automatically issues of concern in what has been being said by some of these individuals". 

"You have a significant number of individuals who, if they had been on visas, they would no longer be in Australia," he said. 

'Expert' needed for review 

Speaking at the same press conference, Mr Albanese again defended his government's decision not to hold a national royal commission into the attack despite calls to do so, including from families of the victims.

Mr Albanese said the government's focus was to "bring the country together". 

"This is an atrocity that was opposed by overwhelmingly all but a minuscule element in our society," he said. 

"All of these issues, we should not play politics with. 

"What we should do is go to the heart of what occurred and, importantly, how do we make sure that this never happens again?"

Mr Burke added that a national review of intelligence agencies, to be led by former defence department secretary Dennis Richardson AC, was more suitable.

He said the work of the review, which would include investigating how potential terror activity could be flagged between countries, was "complex". 

"It is best done by the experts. And that's why to review that sort of work, you don't get anyone better than Dennis Richardson," he said. 

"You don't get anyone better than a national security expert who has lived his life making these sorts of assessments, rather than somebody who is learning it in the course of an inquiry."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-30/bondi-attack-gunmen-operated-alone-afp/106186662

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

correct refusal....

When more than 130 of Australia’s most senior legal minds affixed their names to a call for a federal royal commission into antisemitism following the Bondi terror attack, one absence rippled quietly through the profession.

Robert Richter, KC – one of the country’s most prominent criminal defence silks – was conspicuously not among them.

In a profession steeped in consensus and cautious alignment, Richter’s refusal to add his name was neither accidental nor surprising. For five decades, he has occupied a singular place in Australian law: a barrister whose authority rests not on popularity but on a fierce attachment to legal principle, even when that attachment places him at odds with his peers.

Richter, a human rights campaigner who is a fierce critic of the Israeli government’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, says he does not deny the existence or seriousness of antisemitism. But he argues that a royal commission – particularly one framed around defining antisemitism – would be premature and dangerous.

 

His concern extends beyond legal doctrine. He warns that a royal commission explicitly framed around antisemitism risks inflaming community tensions – echoing the comments from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about it being a potential platform for hate speech.

“If there is to be a royal commission … and I don’t think we need one,” he said,“it will go for years, and its definitions will be argued about endlessly.”

In Richter’s view, the key institutional failures exposed by the Bondi attack are already apparent.

“The tragedy at Bondi was the result of a stuff-up by ASIO in not red-flagging the man for overseas travel or anything of the kind, red-flagging his father,” he said. “It was a complete stuff-up by a combination of ASIO, the federal police, NSW Police and border control. We don’t need a royal commission for that.

“Any call for a royal commission is premature until we find out what Richardson has to report,” Richter said, referring to the government’s intelligence and security review led by former senior public servant Dennis Richardson.

That position places him at odds with an unusually broad coalition of senior legal figures.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/top-barrister-says-a-royal-commission-into-antisemitism-is-premature-and-risky-20251230-p5nqn1.html

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

criminal....

Are Israel and the Trump admin planning to revive the dystopian Gaza Humanitarian Foundation scheme that spawned famine and death under cover of humanitarian aid?

In its bid to continue the genocide in Gaza, Israel has banned 37 international aid organizations from entering the decimated, militarily occupied coastal enclave. This leaves only five humanitarian groups still able to operate inside Gaza.

At the same time, one of the US mercenary firms responsible for securing the notorious Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites which were present during the worst periods of famine in Gaza, when at least 3000 Palestinian civilians were gunned down while seeking aid, has posted an ad soliciting former special forces soldiers for offensive operations.

UG Solutions, the scandal-stained private mercenary firm, announced this December that it was hiring an “experienced Targeter to support intelligence-driven operations through the identification, development, validation, and maintenance of operational targets.” The targeter will be expected to “Develop, validate, and maintain operational target packages in accordance with approved targeting processes.”

Anthony Aguilar, the retired United States Army Lt. Col and former Green Beret who blew the whistle on UG Solutions’ human rights abuses in Gaza, told me he believes that Israel’s ban on the 37 international aid organizations signals the return of UG Solutions as part of a restructured version of the Israeli-controlled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation scheme.

While it’s unclear where the UG Solutions targeter position will be deployed, if they are being hired for upcoming operations in Gaza, Aguilar says “this shows that the US, though paramilitary contractors, is now going to either directly target, or feed target data to the IDF.”

To set the stage for its blanket ban on international aid organizations, Israel’s intel-tied Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has demanded that all staffers of aid NGOs prove they do not support calls to boycott Israel, that they do not support armed struggle or oppose Israel’s existence as an exclusivist Jewish state, and that they do not “actively advance delegitimization activities against the State of Israel.”

Aid staffers must also demonstrate that they have never questioned the established history of the Holocaust or challenged official Israeli narratives about October 7 – including, presumably, that Palestinians committed “mass rape” or beheaded babies.

Israel has also demanded that Doctors Without Borders provide COGAT occupation administrators with the personal data of its staff and donors, an unprecedented move by a belligerent in a conflict which few, if any, aid groups could ever honor.

 

It seems obvious that the Israeli government is using the absurdly onerous new registration standards as cover to ban virtually every credible international aid organization from entering Gaza. In doing so, the apartheid entity seemingly seeks to deprive Palestinians living inside the yellow occupation line of sustenance, forcing them to leave Gaza, or to move into one of the high-tech, concentration camp-like “smart cities” mapped out in the dystopian new “Project Sunrise” proposal marketed by Trump cronies Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

And it is there that they would be “secured” by a mercenary outfit like UG Solutions – and targeted if they dared to resist.

Below is a list of all the aid orgs banned by Israel from operating in Gaza:

1. Accion contra el Hambre – Action Against Hunger
2. Action Aid
3. Alianza por la Solidaridad
4. Artsen zonder Grenzen (Medecins Sans Frontieres Nederland)
5. Campaign for the Children of Palestine (CCP Japan)
6. CARE
7. DanChurchAid
8. Danish Refugee Council
9. Handicap International – Humanity and Inclusion
10. Japan International Volunteer center
11. Medecins Du Monde (FRANCE)
12. Medecins du Monde Switzerland
13. Medecins Sans Frontières Belgium
14. Medecins Sans Frontieres France
15. Medicos del Mundo (Spain)
16. Mercy Corps
17. MSF Spain – Doctors Without Borders Spain
18. NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL
19. Oxfam Novib
20. Premiere Urgence Internationale
21. Terre des hommes Lausanne
22. The International Rescue Committee (IRC)
23. WeWorld-GVC
24. World Vision International
25. Relief International
26. Fondazione AVSI
27. Movement for Peace – MPDL
28. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
29. Medico International
30. PSAS – The Palestine Solidarity Association in Sweden
31. Defense for Children International
32. Medical Aid for Palestinians – UK
33. Caritas Internationalis
34. Caritas Jerusalem
35. Near East council churches
36. OXFAM Quebec
37. War Child holland

https://thegrayzone.com/2025/12/31/israel-aid-gaza-mercenary-targeter/

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

OUR HEARTS BLEED FOR ALL THE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY THIS TRAGIC ACT OF TERRORISM AT BONDI. 
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA DESERVE AS MUCH PEACE AS ALL THE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.

AND WE MEAN IT.