Australian sports greats have added their voices to a growing chorus demanding a national royal commission into anti-Semitism and the Bondi terror attack.
The prominent stars, including Olympians, AFL and NRL names, were the latest figures to call for a federal inquiry, stating Australia’s safety and social cohesion had been ruptured by the massacre.
“This attack did not occur in isolation. It followed more than two years of escalating extremism, intimidation and unchecked radicalisation within Australia,” they said in a joint statement on Sunday.
“Across generations, we have stood for fairness, respect, equality and the principle that every Australian – no matter who they are – deserves safety, dignity and the freedom to live without fear.”
The statement was co-ordinated by Olympians including former hockey player Nova Peris and former swimmers Grant Hackett and Ian Thorpe.
Other signatories include NRL commentator Brad Fittler, former swimmers Michael Klim and Dawn Fraser, tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, and surfer Mick Fanning.
Peris and Fraser gathered alongside victims’ families near the scene of the attack in Bondi on Sunday afternoon.
“This is not a gun problem, this is not a one-off problem, this is an anti-Semitism problem,” a tearful Fraser said.
“It has been building and building and our leaders have sat on their hands too scared to say anything or do anything because heaven forbid they might be called racist.
“But it’s not racism when you’re doing the right thing to protect your country.”
She directly addressed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.
“Come down off your high horse and stop trying to run for cover. If the Jewish community is calling for a royal commission, then do the right thing,” she said.
Peris said there was a systemic failure within the nation’s law enforcement and intelligence institutions.
“If we fail to investigate radicalisation now – honestly, rigorously, and without fear – we risk investigating funerals later,” the Olympian and former Labor senator said.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin thanked the sporting figures for their support.
“Your intervention should not have been necessary,” he said.
“It should have been enough for the government to see the need for a royal commission when 15 of our people were slaughtered metres from here.”
Mr Albanese has resisted calls for a royal commission from victims’ families, hundreds of top legal minds, Jewish groups and more than 100 business leaders.
He instead announced the Richardson Review, led by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson, who will examine law enforcement and security agencies’ responses to the massacre.
Mr Albanese insists a Commonwealth royal commission would not deliver the urgent response needed after the two gunmen shot Hanukkah festival revellers, killing 15 and injuring dozens more on December 14.
The public stance from the sporting stars also warned the eyes of the world will soon be upon Australia for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and the safety and integrity of public spaces have never mattered more.
Heavily armed uniformed and mounted police, along with public order and riot squad officers, are patrolling the Sydney Cricket Ground during the final Ashes Test.
NSW Police counter-terrorism squad boss Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker said arming some officers with specialised rifles was not due to a specific threat.
The measures mirror those introduced for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, where specialist police were armed with semi-automatic rifles and patrolled the busy stadium, a nearby park and a railway hub.
Victims of the Bondi massacre, first responders and community members including hero Ahmed al Ahmed were honoured with an on-field tribute that included a guard of honour and a round of applause recognising the efforts and service of emergency response agencies and community members.
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